Mexted Seclusion (Wellington) Wellington, North Island, New Zealand
By tbird53 on 21-Feb-13. Waypoint GC46BB6

Considering the rain we've had, the ground didn't seem too slippery. Found after a bit of a search around. Left a dry sheet, but it might pay for the CO to give the container a bit of a clean and wipe the dirt from the seal to help keep the moisture out. TFTC.

#224. Challenging walk. It did pay off with a find and good exercise though log is too wet. TFTC.

It was a bit tricky getting to GZ, having to hop over mud, rock, fallen tree branches, and the stream. But otherwise, a nice short walk.

Had to be careful climbing the bank. With loose stones and slippery rock, it was a good idea to shake whatever you're gonna use to pull yourself up with before using it to pull your body weight with.
A couple times a rock, and a tree root gave way. But managed to get to GZ safely.

Unfortunately, the entire cache was drenched, and the log book is totally stuck together.
I was unable to sign it and took a photo instead.
There was a little bit of kid goodies in there but very damaged.
Will log a maintenance check.
Cheers.

Sleepy was here!

Cache was drenched in water.
Logbook is un-signable.

A very precarious 20 minutes looking, but eventually found it

A real scramble to reach this one, the gps is all over the place too. Logbook is wet so couldn't write on it.

my GPS kept changing locations on me so I had to give up. walked up and down and scrambled all around. found all sorts of cool odd tings but not the cache =(

Jeepers, this cache has been here for 8 years and I hadn't found it yet, although I did have an unsuccessful look a few years back. Thought it was high time I got onto it and sorted this one. Just followed by nose and checked a few likely places for the hint objects. Didn't take long before the cache was in hand.

Thanks for another cache in this nice little reserve.

TFTC

Walked down from Bing Lucas Drive and tried to approach the cache from the wrong direction at first. Had to get back on the track as there was too much gorse. No problems locating the cache once we approached it from the right direction. Lovely spot, will give it a FP. Thanks for placing the cache

Quite damp but still writeable A bit of a mission with the wet ground but still good fun coming to places like this
Thanks TBird53

Gosh! There are times when I wish I had pulled the whanau out on an adventure with me- this was one of those times What a scramble! And no easier on the way back down either! There are other times when things are on a ‘need to know’ basis and I don’t tell the whanau. Reckon this is one of those- now!
Many thanks- log a bit damp but still writable

A real scramble to get to but lots of fun!

This one lived up to its terrain as it took a bit of effort to get to the GZ and then the GPS wandering a bit. Thanks for the good hint, well done CO.

Talk about a needle in a haystack! GPS all over the place so a 20 min search of the area 20 metres from where the GPS first indicated eventually unearthed the cache. Really glad to have found this one as we were close to giving up.

Took a bit of a hunt to find this one! Found the fence line and followed it. Dry do in the reserve, but still muddy underfoot. Log quite fragile, but still writable. Tftc!

We had quite a walk to this one, from the Tawa shops, then did not take the most direct route to GZ, so the final 10 or so metres were a challenge. Eventually got the muddy cache container, log was pretty dry though. TFTC

Agh! DNF TODAY! Too wet and slippery and unfortunately my two master helpers were not up to finding at any length of time. GPS not reliable & always changing , though came close to 3-5m... another day for a look

beautiful reserve, this cache took the longest of the ones searched for today, firstly went along the wrong path and ended up about 90m above the cache with no easy way of getting down to it, retraced our steps and then got to the general area, GPS was struggling a bit but eventually got to a likely looking GZ and spotted a hint item, very slippery underfoot, hunted around for a bit, joined by a big friendly dog, and finally the cache was located, buried under quite a bit of mud, scraped some of the mud off to get the cache open, log a bit damp but signable, TFTC

Nice and dry here today, and a beautiful day for another walk around what was a favourite spot when I was a child growing up in this area. Made my way to the general area, and then abandoned trying to use the GPS and just relied on looking around. Soon spotted a likely candidate for investigation, and was pleasantly surprised by the find. Log book is a little damp, but nothing too bad. TFTC.

Muddy scramble and dirty shoes but pushed on to get the win! TFTC!

Thanks. Took a while. But nice

Out and about on a calm, sunny day in Autumn with team geocacher Mr. T seeking a few caches. This was a bit of a mission! Guided by comments in previous logs we wore suitable footwear and had a change of shoes in the car. After a bit of an unintentional wander through the reserve we reached a very muddy area and just ploughed on. Crossing the stream was a bit tricky, then a scramble up a wet bank - no problem, plenty of things to grab and hang on to (and trip over). A slight pause while we surveyed the situation, during which Mr. T slid several metres back down the bank. Undeterred, we started to search, but not for long as the cache was quickly found (geocaching instinct helped). Getting back to the official path was trickier - I still can't understand why I ended up with my trouser bottoms covered in mud. All good fun, and I'm pleased we ticked this one off. Thanks for placing the cache here and giving us a bit of entertainment - an area we have not been before.

I got to within 25m of GZ, according to my GPS, but was defeated by a wide area of mud that threatened to separate me from my boots at every step. I backed out, resolving to come back after a prolonged dry spell!

This looks like one of those locations resulting from "I wonder where this goes?" Quite a good exploration getting to GZ but since GPS wasn't that reliable I resorted to the hint. But there are hint objects all over the place! Instead I just searched randomly until I spotted a suspicious formation. Found and signed. Leaving was slightly more treacherous than arriving but not a problem. TFTC.

Spent a while clambering following wandering GPS until hint item presented itself. Nice walk, thanks!

This cache was certainly deserving of the 3 terrain. Mycro Man and geo hounds went for a walk to this one and about 60m from the cache we left the hounds. Then scrambled and slipped our way to the cache. Very impressed by Mycro Man making it the whole way to the cache. Glad to have this one off our list. We bumped into some locals going for a walk who told us there used to be a "stream" here, but since May last year after the floods then the sides collapsed and now there is nothing more than a trickle and th edges of the path are looking seriously like they're going to cave in soon..

Did with Crystal Fairy.

Took a bit to find. Got it in the end. Lots of things that match the hint. Logged visit. Cache is all ok as not had a find in a while. Added some more hint objects to avow to be found. Best attempted from river left and gong with the flow. TFTC

Nope. Didn't find it today. Sandals was not best choice of footwear for trying to search the objects on these steep slopes. Found the fence and checked everything near this on both sides of the stream but must have walked past it a few times. Will try another time with boots to help me grip these slopes.

Third find for a little stretch of the legs after a birthday day that started with a champagne breakfast with my family. Found with a friend who is fast becoming as enthusiastic about finding these little things as I am. Container is rather damp inside and the log is slightly damp too. True to form the coords were all over the place but with a little logical thought the cache was soon located. Love this area. It sure would have been spectacular to see this waterway in the flood that caused all the damage here! TFTC

Bit of a scramble to this one, TFTC

#105 Cache 3 for the day on our Easter Sunday stroll. Secluded is an apt description! The track is a little rough and it took some climbing to locate, but B found it. Great hide!

Another great hide in a place I'd never been to before tftc

Was doing some work in the area and wanted a break from sitting in the hot car. Lovely location, and nice to get into the cool of the bush. TFTC tbird53, #7528

Nice bush walk and worth a visit for the adventurous. Survived the patch of mud that threatened to cover my shoe soles and falling into the one inch deep stream. Overcame the slippery leaf litter slopes and almost fell when I grabbed a tree that wasn't attached to the ground. Found the cache in its snug hide and made it back with slightly dusty hands and covered in webs (at least two strands ) Quite the adventure and adding a favourite for the lovely bush and taking me off the beaten track. TFTC.

Bit slippery up the side of the hill! Quick find thanks for the cache

What a fun cache to find. Trekking through bush. Following a small creek up a narrow gorge with its steepish sides. GPS was surprisingly good given the tree cover. Hands quickly on cache. TFTC.

#1124 Awesome reserve here- absolutely stunning. It was the perfect afternoon to have a wander- we took in the views at the lookout and then continued via Gone Native #1 and a little detour up the wrong track. We got to 95m away when we realised we were in the wrong place! Got on the right path and before long had the cache in hand despite the fading light. Lovely spot. TFTC!

Found after having to slow down and let the GPS catch up with me. Small search for cache and was very happy to have found it especially since its been a while since it was last visited. A great little challenge

Find #2033. Another day on the bike hunting down the last few Tawa caches. Wasn't planning on going for this one initially but I ended up so close to it after finding 'The Art of Steganography', thought I'd give it a go. Took the bike in with me as far as the track went until it turned up the hill, then picked my way along the stream edge. GPS reception was appalling - at one point only 3 satellites with a 40 to 50m accuracy, but spied the fence so started from there. Pleased to have my boots and gloves in the slippery conditions. Got a lucky break really quick when I spotted some rocks and bingo . SL TFTC

Despite the previous log, I don't think the possible proximity to anyone's property is cause for any concern whatsoever. The cache is well amongst the trees and seems a considerable distance from suburbia, although in reality it isn't.
Enjoy the seclusion of the setting!

GPS lead us to the sort of correct area. From there we had to rely on the clues. soon spoted the mark of previous geocaches and cache was soon in hand.

Found this one with helicopter 1919 after alot of searching. Future Geocatchers be ware that the cache is quite near someone's property.

TFTC

Found by WaffleKitties after a pretty thorough search!

Took a little while to find the right GZ for this one but got it in the end

I had been here previously, but it was getting dark and I didn't have a torch.
Back today for another look around.
Much easier during daylight.
TFTC

Had been working on this property for most of the day so thought we would find the cache with the property owner when we had finished. The cache is on private property but the owner is not concerned about it. The hint keeps people in the right place, and we found without to much effort. TFTC

Yay, got it this time.

Still a bit of a bush bash, but back to where the GPS pointed me initially and boom! There it was.

Nice location.

Tftc

Was thinking about going for a stroll yesterday but wisely chose to put it off until it stopped raining. So with a bit of 'reasonably' fine-ish weather donned gumboots, coat and warm hat and set out for a walk in the bush. Was enjoying the stroll so much so that the gps said you've gone to far and had to back track down the creek. Got to the general location and with the assistance of the hint and a fair amount of checking a number of sites soon had the GZ hunted out.
Left the GPS's (yes, used two) to settle while filling in the log. Before leaving noted the info from them. The Oregon 450 got down to a 17m accuracy value with 9m error from the GZ. The Etrex managed to get a better reading with 5m accuracy and 2.8m difference. This was on the original cache coordinates and under wet and thick foliage. TFTC

I wasn't in the best of footwear for this but managed the journey without either incident or getting muddy. No problems with locating the cache. Thanks for bringing me back to htis nice reserve and TFTC

After reading of the new coordinates and new clue I headed confidently back into the woodland. Very cloudy this morning, and under the canopy there was no response from the gps. Anyway I pushed on to my previous search area and concentrated on the new hint. Sure enough it was in the exact place that I had centred my search the previous time! Very nicely hidden - a very enjoyable cache.

It should be noted that there is no need to make any extreme climb to get to GZ. If you find yourself needing your hands to help you climb then you are probebly going the wrong way.

Gps told me I was there, but no joy

Agreed, this isn't necessarily an easy one to find. Well done to those who have succeeded so far.

It took me 7 or 8 minutes this afternoon around 4.40pm. It was a little bit dark at that time of day and my GPSr couldn't quite make up its mind as to where GZ was exactly.

I'll admit I couldn't locate the cache straight off. The problem is that I'm the cache owner and I had trouble recalling precisely where it was in the fading light. Once I got to GZ my GPSr was indicating it was still 9m away. At that point it read S 41 09.945 E 174 50.554. I'm not suggesting that reading is more accurate than that listed, but that's what it was telling me today. So good luck to any other potential finders!

The cache is up a bit of a tricky slope. I fell over just once.

As you may have gathered, this one could take you a few minutes. I indicated previously that I'd be increasing the difficulty rating to 3.0. I'm also adding one further clue which may help a little.

This entry was edited by tbird53 on Saturday, 08 June 2013 at 07:14:36 UTC.

Great place but no satisfaction for me here today.

I will have to return when I have more time I think.

This one took two of us about 10 minutes to find TFTC tbird53

After the nearby event, skindo and I decided to find a few caches.

Not the good track it looked on the map to cache hide, but we got there and found cache after quite a bit of searching.
SL TFTC

Cache # 1,064 - Certainly not straightforward. Been to this reserve before, and like it quite a bit, but this corner I have not traveled to. Very slippery all around GZ, and found two different wire fences. Quickly located the cache once I figured out which one was the correct fence. Cache in good nick. TNLNSL. TFTC!

Took a little while to pin down GZ but got there in the end. Nice piece of bush reserve - TFTC !

Decided it was time to up the terrain rating from 2.5 to 3.0. It does get a bit tricky in there towards the end, and moreso I expect with wetter conditions which is what we're starting to experience. I haven't checked things out lately myself, but aim to do so again soon. Hopefully won't need to put it up to 3.5!

Used the slowly slowly approach and success was achieved quickly. Would not like to do this after heavy rain. Lots of roots and rocks to contend with already. Is being part goat on the attribute listing? TFTC

This was certainly not an easy cache to find but I enjoyed the adventure. TFTC.

Spotted the hint item and found well hidden cache soon after. GPS was on track here. Never been to this side of Tawa before. TFTC

#3916. Nice secluded area. The terrain rating could easily be a notch or two higher than 2.5 though, particularly when wet. Today wasn't too bad in this dry weather. TNLNSL. TFTC.

#5087. We'd found caches in this reserve before, but not in this secluded corner. Finding was not easy. especially as we though the hint meant the cache wasn't far from the stream. I eventually widened the search area and spotted its hidey hole. Phew. TFTC.

Walk started out very pleasant, but became less so as the track deteriorated. Wouldn't recommend for small children.
Both GPSrs were all over the place, so resorted to hint. Managed to misinterpret the first part, thinking it was relative to the stream, so was searching nowhere near where StreetWalker finally found the cache, just as we were thinking of giving up. Phew, already had a DNF today, would have hated a second.
TFTC.

Took a while for the GPS to settle, but as soon as it did the cache was quickly in hand. TFTC

Second time I have been in this bush area, more climbing required for this cache and I wouldn't want to do it after rain. Redants found cache after allowing GPS to settle down. SL TFTC.

Noted that there were some new caches in Tawa so time for a little stroll on a fine Saturday afternoon.
I have been in this park before so was thinking that the cache would not be far off the well worn track so Jandals were worn.
Once I had negotiated up the creek on the pink markers for a different track then the usual, managed to scramble up to GZ where GPSR had me at 1m so start looking.
Nice hidey hole and paperwork done, now, to get back down. Was doing fine along the south side of the creek till I stepped on what I thought was a root, but wasn't so down I went, and into the creek, missing ankle twisting rocks just.
I would think that even in good footwear, the return journey could get tricky.

TN Left blood from my scraped elbow SL TFTC

Saturday afternoon caching. This one on the list 'to do'.
A hidden gem and pleasant patch of bush. The GZ territory brought terms like 'goat' and 'mountain' to mind, and as previous logs and CO's note and description refer, proceed with care in a sure-footed way.
This one took quite a bit of searching and scratching with GPSR dodgy under the canopy. We called here late afternoon and a torch would have been a useful aid in the search. Cache in order, log signed and cache re-hidden safely.
TFTC found with team cacher Sweet P too
The Turtle strikes again!

Went for a drive afternoon to hunt out a few of the new caches in the area. Managed to take the long way round on the track to the cache, and returned via the shorter way directly down the valley to the road. Found the cache after a short search, the GPSr was definitely wandering a bit but it was pointing me to the correct general area. Signed log, TFTC and for bringing me to this neat little spot!

Yes, both the terrain towards the end, and GPS readings in there, are a bit tricky. The challenge will no doubt increase after a good rainfall in terms of mud underfoot . I must admit I almost lost my footing on checking out the cache again today. Could quite easily have careered down a couple of metres into the stream. So proceed at your own risk!

This entry was edited by tbird53 on Saturday, 23 February 2013 at 05:55:00 UTC.

FTF log to come

1253 hrs. Joint FTF with Simpsonsrgr8.

Did a quick get away from work at lunchtime. Raced from Wellington City to Tawa in the hope someone did not beat us to the punch. Nice location. For me the terrain rating was correct but for my colleague it would have rated a 4. TFTC

3TF and found on the day of publication as well, so very happy with that. Popped over to this lovely little bit of bush after a small Victory not far away, and managed to TREC this one down too. I think most will find it a bit of a challenge to get a stable GPS signal here given the small gully, and the tree cover. I was initially placed in the middle of the stream, but with a slow wander of the signal was led a little bit further afield and voila!
Not the easiest place to negotiate in your work shoes, but thankfully very dry conditions at this time of year.

Many thanks for another well placed cache tbird53 [^]

Published