Te Rere Hau Wind Farm (Manawatu) Aokautere, North Island, New Zealand
By Skindo on 22-Dec-11. Waypoint GC39H3A

With Gap (of Fap and Gap)... Roaming around the wide open spaces of the Manawatu this weekend. We’ve had the caching brakes on for far too long, and it’s a weekend to cut loose.

We found ourselves chasing down an Adventure Lab and its stages brought us across the ranges. We knew we’d have to visit the Te Rere Hau Wind Farm which meant a trip along North Range Road… We were momentarily confused by the other cache nearby. It was great to grab another archived hide. Thanks skindo and TFTC.

with being a long weekend we decided on another trip to the Manawatu.
we based ourselves in Ashurst. with lots of caches around the general area.
main idea was to complete the 20/20 series which we had all the solves for now, plus anything else.
we checked ourselves into local pub, arriving just with enough time to have a couple of beers.
plan today head up thr valley one side back down the other.
caches all in fairly good order.
thanks to the owners for the placements.

What a skindo gravel road! Awesome being so close to the windmills, thanks for the diversion.

#6956. Heading north on a road trip for a family reunion. Have taken some extra days to pick up a few caches as I drive north. I was concerned to see recently that a bunch of caches in this area had been archived. So made sure I allowed some time to pick up a few today. Fascinating windmills with just two blades. So many across the hills here. Strange that some are turning a lot and others are not moving at all. Nice quick find here. Signed the log and replaced the cache as found. Thanks skindo. Pity the cache had to be archived but its still there for those who know where to search on-line.

I'm not able to maintain this cache.

TFTC, great to explore this road whilst out and about. No other traffic which was nice. Interesting 2 blade rather than 3 blade windmills. Nice views to both sides of the area.

Interesting that these turbines have only 2 blades unlike some in the distance and on the other end of the road that have 3. No problems in locating the cache.

Out and about up Pahiatua way locating and signing off solved puzzles and picking up some 2:2 trads to get the numbers.

Nothing was turning.

Cheers for the cache.

Found today while out with PJMacNZ, Haydn.seek, Etherlord Clan and TwigNZ. Quick easy find. Log signed as "Team PHETT" (PJMacNZ, Haydn.seek, Etherlord, TwigNZ, and myself)

Thanks For The Cache

Today my son (ThatWeirdGuy04) and I were lucky enough to be invited to tag along with PJMacNZ, Haydn.Seek and Etherlord Clan on a day trip around the Wairarapa.
We knew it was going to be a long day, but we were hopeful that we would get to find quite a few caches along the way, especially of the Mystery variety which we decided to concentrate mainly on getting.

The weather was kind to us, meaning we were able to spend time out of the car finding the caches and making running repairs to quite a few of them, mainly due to waterlogged log sheets and damaged plastic bags. Anyone finding these caches next in a good condition have EC and HS to thank for providing the requisite items.

My apologies for the generic log entry here, but the volume of caches found today makes it the best way to get everything done. With a small few exceptions, most of the caches were a relatively straightforward find, and in every case the logsheet was signed as Team PHETT for all 5 of us before the cache was replaced exactly where found.

Thank you for placing this cache, and giving us the excuse to have a grand day out.

Stopped by today to let other members of "Team PHETT" (PJMacNZ, haydn.seek, Etherlord, TwigNZ, and ThatWeirdGuy04) sign this log during our road trip from Palmerston North to Masterton (via Pongaroa).
This was a surreal experience for me as the fog was so thick that we could hear the turbines around us but we couldn't see any of them. There was at least 5 singing to us from multiple directions, but they didn't want to be seen and admired

In the Manawatu for the long weekend as Sunday will be spent heading up Rangiwahia Hut to get Ruahine for the Old School North Island Challenge. Saturday was spent exploring and collecting caches along the way. Had never been over the Saddle Rd so decided to go over the Saddle Rd and back to Palmerston North via the Pahiatua Track. A short diversion had the cache in hand. TFTC

Found it! TFTC!

I decided that today was as good as any to go driving up to top of the Track and finally get around to locating this caches. It is quite a slow drive along this back road and i took it very slowly in case some one came the other way which thankfully they didn't. Both caches were very quickly located, signed and replaced although i had to walk through the wet grass as it had rained over night/
early morning. Thank you for these two caches and i am glad to finally tick them off and i knew i wouldn't have time on friday when i pass this way again enroute to visit ailing aunt in Pahiatua. etc

25 November 2017. As two of team ICE hadn't found this one, we came up here for the views. An almost windless day today, but wedged the container in with some stones to keep it in place. TFTC.

Found as part of Team ICE (Infoferret, Zissas & EthNZ) on a cache gathering mission around the Northern Waiarapa.
Wonderfully expansive panoramic views. I have to say I was glad to come here on a still day as I imagine that the wind would blow with some ferocity up here, TFTC

Checking a route for today's caches and looked at this and remembered the run up here with no success. This geocacher reported that the cache might be missing.

All the way to this and nothing to find. Sure we had the spot but there was work right next to the spot. Very open so I don't even think a replacement would survive long. May need to move to the other side maybe? Doubt we will come back unless we see it moved and a trail of finds.

No joy, think we found the resting spot but No goods

What a great view of the windfarm. Some of the turbines are working, some are going fast, someone going slow and some have stopped altogether. They remind me of a whole lot of people dancing in time to the music. Some of the blades need cleaning, however, I'm not volunteering . TFTC

Replace logbook

These are baby windmills was very cool to drive up here at dusk- the sky was amazing colours. Log is very wet unfortunately. TFTC

Wind turbine working overtime today. Very cold up here but well worth the view. It always amazes me how loud the turbines are. Found cache quickly however the log book is saturated and falling apart. Signed a fragment as best I could. TFTC

Wasnt too bad a drive to get up here .... beautiful day after the frost. the windmill were not even moving an inch today . Quick find although log is wet and not signable. Tftc

Another nice quick find views are amazing thank you tftc

Easy find and it was surprising to see the wind turbines only having two blades. They were quieter than the ones on Saddle Road. TFTC.

#6876. We came by North Range Road to have a look at the Te Rere Hau Wind Farm. Great views. GZ was all quiet when we visited. A quick find. The cache was in excellent condition, all nice and dry inside. Took nothing, left nothing, signed log.

| = = = = = T h a n k s _ f o r _ t h e _ c a c h e = = = = = |

Thanks skindo ! Found on a fine winter day. Yet another great place for a cache!

Came for a Sunday drive and this was a nice easy find. Very chilly wind though! TFTC

Stopped in cloud and rain (it was clear lower down) today for a quick find in the first place checked. The cloud was so thick that I couldn't see any of the turbines although there was quite a lot of sound coming from them. Shame I wasn't able to get any view, might have to come back some time. Signed log, TFTC

Down in the area for a caching week
Enjoying finding all these caches.
TFTC

One of many great caches found with Envy-Us and Waiiti20 on a 100 plus find caching day in the Wairarapa. Many thanks to the CO's for the cache placements, the many puzzle caches we found, the great journey we had around the many back country roads, and the many interesting places we visited. Sorry for the generic type log. TFTC.

An enjoyable day in the North Western Wairarapa with Waiiti20 and drawp. A generic log due to the many finds, but our thanks to those who have placed caches in this scenic area - both roadside and in the Tararua Forest Park. We enjoyed some fun finds and a few lonely caches but most of all an excuse to drive (on almost every road thanks skindo) through this part of the country. TFTC

Getting a bit later in the day now and it's a bit breezy up here! Completed the paperwork and moved on quickly, TFTC, #7190, took the opportunity to place another TB.

Plenty of the "renewable energy source" up here today. TFTC

This was our parking spot for the start of our babywearing walk along the 4x4 track so it made good sense to collect this cache while here. thanks skindo.

came to the end of the road nice drive tftf

[blue]Today's amusement was by way of a group of International tourists or students doing an photo shoot. We made our search whilst the 'hollywoods' performed nearby. Great view. Did we get a glimpse of Ruapehu on our assent surrounded by mist in the last afternoon sun?[/blue]

A great drive up here

TFTC

The Te Rere Hau Wind Farm was generating lots of electricity today, those blades were spinning pretty fast, TFTC.

Every cache that we did on this caching-on-a-Saturday-in-the-Wairarapa trip was a skindo cache. We named the day skindo Saturday. Ha!
This was the site of now archived cache which we found 24 Feb 2008.
Straightforward find, cache in order, log signed, and cache re-hidden safely.
TFTC found with team cacher Sweet P too
The Turtle strikes again!

Junior anv1l and I had to make a trip to Pahiatua to play rugby, so logged some caches on our way home TFTC

Based in Pahiatua for an ANZAC weekend of caching,, Nice quick find. Man its windy up here today. Somebody should build a wind farm up here
- Winglen's Woolly Baabaa geocoin

This entry was edited by J 'N' K on Thursday, 01 May 2014 at 21:34:47 UTC.

Could hear the windmills but couldn't really see them with the low cloud.. was a little spooky!! Quick find though on a trip into skindoland with Spudnz and Tommygun9.

Nice mission today to the Wairarapa with AtomsNZ and SpudNZ.
Leaving early in the morning we managed 57 including one FTF and finishing with one published that day (we were however forth on that one).

Low cloud meant the wind mills only appeared pretty much once we were under them, very cool and it sounded like there were many more very close by.

I got a text from Tommygun9 asking if I wanted to partake in a trip into skindo country. How could I say no? About 250km's and 9hrs later, I found 61 with three DNF's. A big thanks to Atomsnz for solving most if not all of the puzzles we found today. A quick find here. Not much of a view with all the low cloud around.
Dropped off Winglen's Woolly Baabaa trackable.
Thanks for the cache and the smiley. Found with Tommygun9 and Atomsnz.

Cache 2. 28 km in tftc

#468 Easy find, thanks.

Great spot. Went for a drive with one of my sons and found without too much trouble. Had some security type people visit us shortly afterwards - apparently they had been observing our search on a security camera and were wondering what were "getting up to"! Gave them a brief intro to geocaching and they seemed satisfied...

Quick find, on a lovely spring day. Thanks for the cache.

Man, these are noisy. But looked good silhouetted against the night sky

Finally got down this road to get, these wind turbines seem to be nosier than the three blade ones? Tftc

Worth the drive to get this on, could see for miles today
TFTC and a fave point

All but one of the nearby wind turbines were busy generating electricity as we parked up near the GZ. The GPSr didn't want to lock on any particular position so it took a manual search, and the hint, before the cache was located. TFTC.

#5262. It was quite eerie at GZ, as we were in low cloud. We could hear lots of whoomping, but couldn't see any turbines. I'm sure on a fine day there are great views from here. TFTC.

Suddenly spotted some whirling blades through the low cloud when we were approaching GZ, but it was just a glimpse. When we got out of the car, couldn't see much but I could hear them, so must have been at least a couple nearby.
TFTC.

TFTC

GPSr wandering around a lot up here today - but found after a few minutes checking the most likely places. TFTC

Never been up here! It's really cool! TFTC

found, thanks for the hide

Last cache of the day,it's just on dark.Time to head home...TFTC!!

Sitting under turbine the listening to the noise of gear box and blades, awsome power.

Thanks for cache.

No much flying wind today - just a very light breeze and stinking hot. Great view of the turbines though. So these are the new NZ made two-bladed ones! Some started truning, and were surprisingily noisy - then they stopped, and others started up - wonder what the programme is?

An amazing place. TFTC

Lovely views up here and on the way in today - thanks for bringing us here. Quick find.

I've been up here a few times before for orienteering and geocaching.
A quick find.
Thanks.

Found it with Etherlord and the Seagnoid. A nice and easy find

I have done some abseiling inside the towers on the Apiti farm, they are the bigger 3 blade turbines. I was surprised at just how much smaller these ones are - the transformer doesn't even fit inside the tower!
Wonderful drive along here. Great views.

quick find with The Seagnoid and AyJay on day two of our 60+ cache weekend
I've heard that there is very little efficiency difference between a 2-bladed turbine and a 5-bladed, but these turbines just look strange to me (at least in comparison to its 3-bladed neighbours).
loved the little 'needle' on top of the sign!
was looking for a micro, found a small

A quick easy find after having to navigate our way past a variety of road working machines and trucks, and then having to return past them again. They probably weren’t too impressed. A lot of the windmills weren’t operating when we first saw them, but several seemed to start up as we approached. TFTC

primo views, great driving road and a cache to boot. thanks skindo

Very cool to see these up close and just how much energy they can get out of what only seemed a small breeze. Rather cruelly for is we could see what a brilliant sunny day it was in the Wairarapa, plus the rain clouds descending on Palmy, and we were headed back to Palmy

TFTC

Easy find, at the end of a twisty turny bumpy windy drive...love this stuff.

Took a while as we were bit nervous near the electric fence. TFTC.

TFTC

Found on Leap Year day Not a breath of wind here this morning and great views. I had previously placed a cache just a few metres from here during construction of the wind farm, but over-vigilant security staff and muggles caused too many problems and it was archived. Thanks skindo for this new one - it's a stunning drive on a fine day like this. It was good to get a "brace" of caches up here today.

This entry was edited by edvern on Wednesday, 29 February 2012 at 06:32:42 UTC.

Great views up here today ,nice easy find TFTC

Windmills were going flat out today. Really cold & windy here! Left a pet rock - a kiwi. TFTC

Easy find on a day where the wind must have been blowing at a rate of over 100 mile an hour. Wind mills going flat out. Signed log an left a TB. TFTC.

Getting a bit gravelled out today and pleased that this was my last dusty road of the day. Must be their day off - almost all turbines completely motionless today. SL TFTC

It was nice to be able to carry on past the radar cache to pick this one up as well - and it's always enjoyable to be in amongst the turbines, TFTC

FTF - happy to get another such today. Great views up here. Didn't mind the wind - a bit cooling on this very warm afternoon. Te Rere Hau Wind Farm is much more extensive than we recall. Obviously this area is conducive to growing wind farms! TNLN TFTC

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