Bell Block Beach view (Taranaki) New Plymouth, North Island, New Zealand
By canuckiwis on 08-Jan-13. Waypoint GC44276

Cache has been removed due to unable to maintain.

Cache has not been returned to its location and possibly overgrown or covered by shifting sand

Could not find

We walked along the beach then up the sand hills. through the scrub. We spent ages here searching all over the place. Kept rechecking the hint. I spot something out of place under a shrub. Yes finally we are able to get this one tagged. Cheers. Its just on dusk and light fading for the return journey. Time to get home.

Day 9 - Sunday 22 December.Round trip New Plymouth to Okato and back today.

The Seagnoid, Zara, Toby and I are spending Christmas exploring Taranaki via geocaching. Its been an amazing 3 week adventure. Rattls BBQ was a great event, meeting many other cachers. But also managed to fit in a few more events, especially New Years Day celebrating the start of 2020. Lots of caches - over 500. Lots of cache maintenance. Lots and lots of kilometers. And lots of amazing places visited along our journey. Mt Taranaki remained elusive for much of our travels and the caches on it at the top. Loved Pukekura Park Night Lights Show and the the Wooden Mechanical toy exhibition at NP Info centre.

We spent ages hunting all over for the cache and eventually Taybeedragon says she thinks she found the hide for a while we debating wether we think it was in fact the hide, I saw a glint nearby and found the cache under leaves. We signed it and placed it back in its hide. Man this was a tough find, mainly because the cache was not where it belonged. No wonder there were a lot of DNFs. Nice walk along the beach on the way here, but it was the end of the day and I was wondering if we would be walking by torchlight on the way back. Can't remember if we needed it in the end. Probably not. Today is the longest day, so must be close to 10:30pm.
For everyone else, start by looking for the stake, then an obvious place nearby.

Day ten of Taybeedragon's and my big 3 week circumnavicaching trip around Mt Taranaki, starting from Palmerston North. Earlier we did most of the coast road up from Hawera, Today we start from New Plymouth and finish it off.
Highlights:
* 3 weeks, 536 caches
* Mt Taranaki had been removed for washing, which was a bit of a shame. Even after it had been returned we were only allowed to see it for it was less than half an hour a day.
* High percentage of caches with crappy coordinates
* Amazing Pukekura Park
* AMAZING Pukekura Park light show!
* Pukeiti Gardens
* Lots of cache maintenance!

***[======== NZ Mega 2020 ========](http://nzmega.com)***

Planning for the [NZ Mega 2020](http://nzmega.com) event is well underway. It will be held in Auckland over Labour Weekend, 23 to 26 October 2020. It's going to be a massive celebration of geocaching:

* 20 years of geocaching worldwide.
* 20 years since New Zealand had the very first geocache hidden outside of USA.
* And it's 2020 - all the 20s!

Talk to your geo-friends and start planning to be part of [this event](https://coord.info/GC87777) - you won't want to miss it!

Pretty sure we were in the right spot it felt right but alas 2 adults and 61/2 kids couldn’t find this one

Hunted and hunted

Had a quick look but no joy.

Found spot but very over grown

Found what I think must be the hiding spot but no cache.

Found a wasp nest 5m from GZ so backed out and will let council know.

Quick walk down to the coast and grabbed this one on the way. TFTC

Heute haben Heckenstürmer und ich den Tag etwas lockerer gestaltet. Ausschlafen, Frühstücken und dann etwas in New Plymouth und beim Mount Taranaki cachen. Die Spitze des Berges lag leider immer im Nebel. Jetzt noch etwas draussen sitzen und Abend geniessen.

Greets from Switzerland

Day 17 in Newzealand. Today we spend some time around New Plymouth.
A very beautiful Country with lovely places. We were able to find nice Caches and See Lots of beautiful places.
Thank you for showing us this place.
Tftc

Last one of seven caches we located on our ride on the coastal walkway today. Good bike ride on a sunny day but glad we started at the Bell Block end because the wind was rather strong, and it was better to have it behind us going back.

Found this one after we’d completed our ride. Took a bit to figure out the best way to access it. Heading along the beach was of course the way to do it, then to locate the right track, although that wasn’t particularly straightforward. Anyway once we’d eventually made it to the area of GZ it wasn’t too difficult a find. #2221. TFTC.

Ste went up and found this. Unfortunately the rain started just as we started looking. Tftc.

Not a bad view from the cache, thank you

It’s was good

I think its been moved cant find

Had a bit of cabin fever after a day inside so teamed up with N0kn0w and headed for the beach. Scambled over rocks and negotiated the blackberry to GZ. While I went in circles following the GPSr N0kn0w followed her cache sense and soon found it. TFTC.

Nice spot cool hide

Great camo, thanks

Foundit

A bit cooler this morning to our for a walk and some finds.
Made my way here via the newish one at the other end of the houses. This area has changed since I was a kid, though not that much in the last 10 years or so. There was more land between the houses and the beach and very little vegetation on the dunes. As a guide we would head into the dunes with 2 matches, a sheet of newspaper and a raw sausage for each girl in the patrol. We'd cook them up in the shelter of the dunes, which would sometimes change from week to week and a favourite place would disappear.
Spotted the oddity and soon had the cache in hand. Replace the little bits of swag that were on the ground (didn't find these till I picked up the container)
Thanks for maintaining the smilie gryphonthenomad. Worthy of a favourite canuckiwis.
2030 13 January 2018 10:39

We took the opportunity to walk to this cache after a lunch stop nearby. We were close to it earlier in the week when out for a bike ride but weren't sure how to access GZ. On foot today was a much better option. Once across the stones, the track was easily followed, just needed to dodge some blackberry. Then Mrs nzk spent a few minutes looking in the wrong place before locating the cache hide with her foot! Well done on a creative hide. Great views from here. TFTC canuckiwis

Had a fun bike ride from the port - beautiful day for it. Topped it off by picking up four caches including this one. Great spot, scores a favourite from me. TFTC

Harder than we thought

A nice quick find, after a nie walk along the beach. A FP for the hide and the lovely view. Cheers.

Next stage in the holiday, up to Hamilton. Looking forward to getting there to see one of the duaghters.

Thanks to all of the COs for placing and maintaining their caches. Cheers.

I always save these walkway caches for when I’m out exercising and decided today was the day to try out this track. Ekkkk so muggy and hot! Sandy track really had my heart rate up after navigating the stones on the beach. Such a great workout really walked straight up to GZ saw straightaway the likely hiding spot and booyah I was correct. Cool hide!

I'm sooo glad to get this one ticked off had multiple attempts finding this one very clever hide

Found it on a beatifull walk along the coast. Thanks from holland

Took me a few minutes before I found it. Beautiful day for a walk. No pen/pencil in the cache so wasn't able to sign the log book. Thanks!

Master 7 found this one. Great walk with my boy to this & nice hide. Tftc

Awesome cache, thank you. Worst one ever for us as think we took the wrong route and had to fight our way through waist high grass and blackberry bushes for half an hour before coming across the cache. Came out with blood on our legs, need a beer after that one! Lol

Fantastic. Clever hide and beautiful spot. Careful on the beach - fell over and banged my leg pretty hard! TFTC

Thanks for a great cache.

Out biking the coastal Track with the bf, I had collected a few along here a year or so ago so about time to come get some more. Such stunning views and glad through drizzle had stopped so we could get out. If only I had read cache page before looking everywhere else first. Once read I knew what to look for. A fav from me. Cheers for the cache.

A quick scramble up the dune. Cache quickly found, then sat for a while and enjoyed the view. This type of hide seems to be our theme for today. TFTC.

Tricky little spot to get to, and very well hidden!

Returned with pen.

GPS is taking me the long way home for the Mega. Finding lots of great caches on the way. TFTC

This bit of the coastal trails was a great change from the concrete and bitumen
The first 100 metres or so from the carpark is an ankle twister !!
But after that you can escape the rocks and retreat onto the black sand dunes

At the top of one such dune,
I reached GZ and took in the views for a while
No view of a cache was seen for a longer while

So long was the time of not viewing the cache,
I gave up looking and was wandering off with a DNF,
when ....

... something odd about the scenery caught me eye.
Hmmm, that shouldn't happen
And just like that !! A cache

Fave dance time,
for the hike, the view and the hide [^]

Half way there I realised I had no pen. Took a chance that there might be a pencil, alas no. Will have to return another day to log it properly.
Like the camouflage. Simple but effective.

Do not go barefoot I repeat do no go barefoot beautiful view on this sunny afternoon tftc

tftc

After taking the hard way to get to gz the cache was a quick find. TFTC

nice day at beach and a great hiding spot

Cool hide. Great view. 1 look didn't see it so continue to look found on second look. Yippee

Nice find. Off the beaten path a little buy worth the view. Thanks for bringing me here!

Got confused on how to get to GZ. Once there, pretty easy find. GPS is slightly out. Thanks!!

Found it. Had handy leatherman so was able to get container out. Should be easier to get out now.

Managed to find even with my gps out by about 5meters. Unfortunately I was unable to sign the log as it is so tightly closed. I tired everything I could to get to it. Will attach photo of the beautiful view as proof of my visit. Tftc

Nice hide....took a little to lock on to but got there in the end. Definitely need shoes. Great view

Finally did this one a couple of days ago. I like these in plain sight caches. Nice views too. TFTC

Took a while but found it on 1 last look. Jandals are not suitable footwear

Nice hide found it

Found it. Cunning hiding place

found on my second visit. A clever hide.

Good hide. TFTC

Good hide. TFTC

cool spot nice hide tftc

Yay fond it, was on our way home about to give up when I thought I'd check one last place and what do you know there it was

Tftc

found it after some head scraching

nice walk on the beach and awesome views, took a little time to get cache in hand, but the hint helped us out TFTC

Found it on the second attempt with some assistance from the little brother. Have left Leon the trackable.

Found it on the second attempt with some assistance from the little brother. Have left Leon the trackable.

Found on 2nd attempt with assistance from little brother. Left Leon the trackable with a beautiful view.

Theres a lower rockier road so of course we took that one. Our more aged members of the tribe found it hard going but we all got along in the end.
Once in the vicinity we got our head in the game. One other family cacher had said that it was tricky and we should be prepared for a long look. We were quietly feeling competitive and were determined to find it much faster. Some days you are just on and other days you aren't. Last week we were definitely having an off week but we were on fire today. Found it in a few minutes although GPS dancing all over the place (feeling frisky). great hide - favourite point for us. We also grabbed a tb to take home to the Tron tomorrow. TFTC

Wahoo found it what a cool spot

YES! found it! Second trip for us, was not prepared to log dnf first time as rain stopped us! Clever! Loved the cache! Obvious, once we found it! Did kiss a few frogs first before we found the prince!

Went back and tracked it down. Forgot to take a writing utensil so I'll need to go back again and fill that out. Doh.

Searched high and low. We're not very good at this finding thing!

Great beach

#1004. Had just done the nearby Little Dragon and decided we had time to fit this one in as well. Had met up with knees'n'things at the other cache but he had already done this one and so headed off around the bay. Miss E and I headed inland to the GZ. Was pleased to see some suitable hiding objects at the GZ as the dense vegetation in that area might have taken a while otherwise. Cache found in first place checked. All good. Logbook dry. Signed and replaced container as found and back to the car. Heading south to Wellington and home. TFTC

Great find on a work lunch break

Awesome view but no sign of any jar at gz.

Seemed to have been foot traffic on the hill off the track, but we found no sign of a cache.

Cool hiding place. Good view today.

My 78th cache!

First of the day that started badly, this one put the smile back on my face, thank you. Bit of a search involved here - very clever hide, loved it. Little son was very excited to open it up and choose a trinket. Put one back of course.

TFTC

#10
Found with Lunarq. TFTC

Quick find today using my S5 Phone.

Extra hint: 2 small posts in the sand.

In: Hundemarke Travel Bug

T4TC

3rd time lucky, didn't read the whereabouts quite enough.thanks for the hunt

Yay!!! We found it this time!! And it was a lovely day for a stroll along the beach to find the spot. Thanks

Early morning find on a beautiful sunny day while collecting a few locals caches. The locals are very blessed to have such a lovely swimming beach so close to home. TFTC canuckiwis, #7493

Found it got a few cuts on the way though tftc

Very painful cutty grass tftc

Funniest night check... But would have been more fun if Geo buddy didn't freak me out in the dark!!!!

Great hunt, very clever hide 1st Geocache experience, found it on the second visit due to lack of night vision on first visit!

great lunchtime adventure

Picked up my caching friend Davycrockpot from the airport, and headed off to grab a few caches before heading home. Our first one this weekend, and being unfamiliar with the area got there the indirect route along the stony beach...took a bit of searching, then stopped and had a rethink....aha nice camo. TFTC

Found with Geco72, the first find in another of our infamous caching weekends. Took a bit of a search but eventually we can't up with the goods. TFTC.

Appreciate the container. Apparently busted to CO near GZ. Took the hard way in. Being from out of town makes these harder. Great excuse for a little amble. Enjoyed looking for this, thanks.

Enjoyed the walk along the beach, looked and looked and looked some more, had us stumped and couldn't find it. This is our first day geocaching. Will try this one again another day.

I didn't take the sand track to this cache but decided to walk along the beach. Man I love the beach and it was neat to spot some ships just off shore. Upon reaching GZ I hunted in the usual hiding spots but no luck. A re-read of the description and a mention of 'hidden away but in plain sight.' OK, that just changed my searching and quickly I came up trumps finding a delightfully camoed cache.

After signing the log and admiring the gorgeous coastal views I headed back to the car park, yip you guess it, along the beach.

TFTC +FP

We remember visiting Bell Block Beach many years ago prior to caching. An enjoyable stroll with some lovely coastal views along this sandy track, a cool hide, well done, many thanks for the memories.

Was just about to give up then had one more idea!!! So close to home too! Will be back to visit!

Took a while and eventually my wife found it - imaginative hide

Such a clever hide. Thank you I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of the hint.