Half Way Too (Nelson/Marlborough) Howard, South Island, New Zealand
By hazedarus on 12-Sep-12. Waypoint GC3WMHE

And, school holidays have rolled round again. We are up at the lake for a couple of days and Miss B has a walk planned. This is it, up to Whisky Falls. While Miss B and Mrs B did the walk, I played leap frog getting the caches along here, 9 on the way in and 4 on the way out.

Find 12. Having found the first half, during lunch at the waterfall I put the coordinates for this one into the GPS. I didn't however zoom in close enough to see where it actually was, so I was about 500m from it before I realised ahhhhh, that half way, not the other half way. Oh well, off I go, and still managed to keep ahead of Miss and Mrs B, just.

Tftc more later

Yahoo! Got it. Missed it on the first check too. No need to go any further. I’m amazed how good of condition the tracks are in given all the rain over the last couple of months.

I’d found the coordinates for this cache when I found it’s sister about two years ago but I’d not been up this way since to search for it.

As I laboured up the hill I was glad for a reason to stop least off all because of overshot the GZ by 20 metres and needed to back track.

Found and tucked back neatly.

Thanks hazedarus
#3814

Logged using Cachly.

Located with Ricardinho

This was just a short climb, but man it felt like Everest It was such a hot day, I don't think I drank enough water...rookie mistake! A quick find here by RNZ after the short climb, a beautiful Bellbird was curious to our activities

A lovely leisurely hike to Whisky Falls today after our excursion up Mt Robert yesterday,. The weather was stunning again & we wanted to take advantage of that We got away a little later than we hoped, but we had plenty of water to combat the heat (I just didn't drink enough, kept forgetting!).

TFTC

Penultimate find for us today, and a little bit of a sting in the tail not far from the finish line.
We got the solved coords on the way out but decided to leave this until later in the day.
In the end not too many problems here, was in about the third place looked. I notice now that this was found on this exact same date 6 years ago, and we are just the third visitors since then. Glad to report this seldomly frequented cache is all good. TFTC Hazedarus.

Second full day at the lake, and it’s another stunner.
After a successful excursion up Mt Robert yesterday, today we decide to tackle the somewhat less vertically challenging lakeside walk to Whisky Falls.
A full day with 13 caches targeted, and all were found. All were in pretty good nick, although we may have added a sliver or two of RITR paper if the logs were a bit damp.
Again, great fun, weather and company and good to see so many people out doing the walk.

I took Ms M out for lunch at Bushline Hut today.
Well....she made it and I carried it. Including the thermos!
Ms M carried on along Paddy's Track while I trotted down to make this find.
Wow, three years since it was last found. I went straight to it (thanks for the great hint) and the container and log were in perfect condition. Amazed I was. I've sat on these "solved" coordinates for more than eight years. About time and came and found it. Now for the grunt back up to catch up with Ms M.
TFTC hazedarus

We're down to Level 2 so we're away again. Good luck.

To take away the temptation this cache is disabled for the duration of New Zealand being under COVID-19 Alert Level 4.

The rules are:
STAY HOME
Act as if you have COVID-19.
This will save lives!

Thank you.

This was our target cache for today. We wandered along to Half Way To - we had found this by torchlight in 2013, but did not know to collect the coordiantes (I am still known for not reading the cache page properly and miss recording required information). Well do you think we could find it today - the answer to that is no not for a long time. We searched up and down the track looking at any and every hint item. Eventually I found it in the moss down below one of the hint items. Then to find the coordinates for this one. Arrgghhh the log was mush. There was a new log in another bag but the coordinates were not on it. Luckily I have the CO's phone number and even more luck was that they answered the phone. A short time later we had written the coordinates for the next finder and we put it beside the hint item with a wee bed of stones around it. Then we were on our way to find this one. I had read through the previous logs and was mentally prepared for an uphill challenge. We were pleasantly surprised at how good the track was - although there was a bit of puffing involved. The recent batch of uphill caches I have been doing has paid off - I am getting fitter than I gave myself credit for. The cache was in the first place we looked - which was fantastic after the saga of finding the first half of this cache. Thanks hazedarus for this cache and thanks for you help to find and replace the coordinates.

Having had a lunch stop at Lake Side Junction, I left my friend to get this cache, had me puffing a bit by the time I got there. A quick find and I was soon heading back down to meet her. TFTC

#4306

Found with Kiwimykl, refer to his log for details.

TFTC hazedarus

NZDi and I have been planning a few days away up at St Arnaud in the Nelson Lakes. Yesterday we took over six hours to travel up the Wairau Valley from Blenheim caching along the way. The trip normally takes just over an hour but we were in no hurry as we could not check in to our accommodation until after 3pm anyway. On the way up I managed to get a nice round fifty caches and NZDi got six more that I already had converted into smiley faces.

Todays aim is to get the cache at Parachute Rock then carry on to the ridge to place one of our own, however I don't think the weather Gods are going to play the game. After that we will play it by ear. After getting back from bagging Parachute Rock minus the side trip up to the ridge, we had a shower and lunch and put on some more clothes suitable for caching in the rain. We the came out to cache the area between Mt Robert Road and the lake.

Extremely accurate coordinates allowed me to put my hands on this quickly. It is really raining quite hard now, so we will make this the last for the day.

TFTC hazedarus

Got coods but found it was where we had come from. So will get next time.

A weekend trip up to the Nelson Lakes with G H 6 7 1 0 and the Seagnoid was planned with a couple of days of the weekend in one of the work baches not far off the lake side in Rotoiti/ St Arnaud. Targets were set; get the Seagnoid past 4000 caches, get more than 50 a day for G H 7 6 1 0, and get me past 3200 cache finds. Also in target was some tramping, some boat caching (grabbing whilst moored as close as safely possible to G Z) some 4 W Driving and some basic park and grabs. We also wanted to get all of the puzzle/unknown caches in St Arnaud as well as 100% of the multi caches in St Arnaud (cache Tectonics!). There was driving, boating, walking, rain, mist, sun, ducklings, eels and trout, sandflies (of course), beech trees and great views. Fun and sweat (no tears), a wasp sting and over 100 caches found for me. We all surpassed our targets and at the end of 2 full on days we returned to a cooler Blenheim than when we left tired out.
The last day of January and this January has probably been my most prolific with lots of great South Island caches, with a handful of N I ones thrown in for good measure. Todays plan is to start with some P &Gs, then off up the Pinch Gut for a nice tramp, then back to the car.
G H 6 7 1 0 had found the first part of this puzzle whilst retrieving the car from up the hill and was a welcome sight along the track with the required coordinates. Back we went and the cache was found. t s left his G P S behind so had to back track and retrieve
T F T P and C hazedarus, could have been a logistical nightmare

[green] Capperz decided that this was the weekend for a marathon run on St Arnaud. Not sure why, except that base lodge there had a cancelled weekend and was free to grab. So he, I and GH6710 had an interesting time caching the surrounds. Rained on and off. The wet long grass meant that I had wet feet for the entire trip. Saw the insides and tops of clouds, some great views, lotsw of rabbits (or maybe just the one, many times over - it always did the same thing: safe on the side of the road, it decides to runs across just in front of the car). Also got to see robins, sandflies, no keas, sandflies and more sandflies. We managed to get GH to break his 50/day record, and over 120 for the whole trip. Saturday we climbed half way up Mt Robert in the morning then boated around Lake Rotoiti in a little yellow plastic dingy for the afternoon. Sunday was lonely cache day - some over 10 months since their last find. Many of these found with GH's 4x4, bumping over some very rough roads, my first real experience of four wheel driving. What an awesome weekend!
GH had split from capperz and me to head down the upper track to move the car to the lower track, then came in to meet us, carrying the coordinates for this cache on the way. So we turned around and headed back to get this cache. Found the geo trail, but the cache proved a little more elusive. Fingers ended up being better than eyes. Turn around again, back to the exit...

Bit of a hike up here after the morning walk. TFTC

Our day on Mt Robert. Much anticipated. Car out to Mt Robert Car Park, up Pinchgut to Relax Shelter, across to Bushline and then down Paddys. A warm down along the Lakeside track. Managed 25 cache finds. A great day out.
This was #23 for the day. Now on warm down from the Mt Robert circuit. We drove down from the upper carpark to the Lakeside track carpark and set out from there. This being the fourth found on that track. Ah..., no.... climbing again... but happy to make it to GZ. Another surprise that this is such a lonely cache.
Cache find was straightforward. Cache in order; log signed, then safely re-hidden, just as found.
TFTC found with team cacher Sweet P too
The Turtle strikes again!

A note of appreciation to the cache owners in and around St Arnaud. We have encountered only one DNF in our first 2 days of caching in the region. Caches discoverable, in good condition with logs intact and signable. Altogether good caching. Thanks.

Spring is in the air and caches need checking for the new season. The cache was found where it should be and in good order.

Picked up the numbers for this cache when on a previous family walk. Too tired that day to head up so back today to finally knock this one off. Nice walk on a beautiful day at the lake in the company of Kiwi Grandad. He made the find.
Thanks hazedarus for the cache.

#8058

Found along with KE, got the lungs going up to GZ, glad not carrying a pack. TFTC

Had got the co-ords previously so raced up for an early morning find. TFTC

Although we had anticipated a relatively flat walk this morning, it was not to be. The coordinates from the first cache indicated we had to climb. Once we got there, the cache was a quick easy find. TFTC

Usually not very good at these but managed to work it out without too much pondering. Co-ords spot on. TFTC

Another quick find on our circuit TFTC

Yip. Actually I guess this would be halfway between lots and lots of places. An interesting thought. For us it was more of a turning point in our travels. Thanks for the bonus.

I guess I'm always half way to some where but in this case I just happened to make it there. Cheers for that. TFTC #4623

Found on a walk up the lake to Coldwater Hut and back. Had to try a few likely locations before I found the correct one but it didn't take too long. Signed log, TFTC

Found on way back from a weekend up the valley. Very hot day so huffed and puffed getting to cache

Not halfway to anywhere for us today, but the end of the road. We had sorted out where this was likely to be - and decided to rise to the occasion today. No problem with the find - the co-ordinates weren't half bad and the hint also helped! Thanks.

Nice one! Good idea for the puzzle and nice placement too. GPS was struggling under the trees and I overshot GZ by about 30m before it swung around and told me to back track. Careful inspection of a few candidate spots eventually revealed the cache.

After vowing I would never walk UP this track again I did just that today albeit only part way to this cache. While Hazedarus and I have always been together when we have placed caches this one is the exception and I had only a general idea of the area so it was a genuine find for me. TFTC.

Time for a quick jog and cache (yep, there was some puffing involved). Pretty sure I would not have found without the hint for this one, and pleased to put my hand on another nicely camoed container. Thanks for the cache.

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