The Optimist (Tasman) Tata Beach, South Island, New Zealand
By Juicy Fruits on 10-Jul-14. Waypoint GC58JAB

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Had a good look. Interesting area. Watchfully for apparent penguin nests?

A clever hide, took two lengthy visits and thanks to a chance meeting on a walk agimme from RNZ &RG1972. Thanks Juicy Fruits for another letterbox completed.

Tregearp and I had looked for this one a few months ago, and then early this morning. After a chance meeting with ricardinho.nz & RG1972 we got some help that enabled the find. Not as high up as we were looking, and one always needs to remember to check to both sides! All in good condition, and dropped a TB. Thanks Juicy Fruits for the detailed exploration of this feature over three visits.

Located with Ricardinho

A day spent exploring & caching around GB, was a goodie! Lots of firsts for me Short walks I've been meaning to do but never seem to find time, we did this weekend Spectacular scenery right on my back door.

TFTLC

A target cache for today, as I would like to find any letterbox in the areas we are in.
The cache was a bit elusive though. Thought I had found a track in, but in the end it was the wrong one. Looking at previous logs helped, so I kept it on a lower level and after about 10 minutes made the find. Nice to tick off. In my excitement I think I signed everything in the box. So all good here, TFTC Juicy Fruits.

Our second day in Pohara, and today we are exploring a few spots with some short walks. The Labyrinth Rocks, Rawhiti cave and Grove Scenic Reserve were all on the agenda and visited in the morning and early afternoon, then we headed around to Tata Bay and beyond for some park and grabs. Great weather, some really cool spots. Thanks all.

Day 20 of three weeks winter motorhoming in the upper half of the South Island. Moved on from Port Tarakohe (between Pohara and Ligar Bay) back over the Takaka hill to Motueka today. Picked up a few caches along the way.

This one took us far longer to locate than it should have! So many potential hiding places in a rather different setting. We came very close to giving up on it! As others have indicated, it turned out to be a whole lot lower than anticipated! #4227. TFTC.

Called in here on Friday night but had no luck just on dark trying to find the cache but back in daylight and enjoyed a 2nd visit as the rocks are so interesting.

We flew down from Auckland to Nelson for another session upon the PWGT caches and other caches that appeal. This is our last trip for the series and will complete it in the 4 days we have allowed ourselves. On this trip there is myself, rustynz, FMZ, Rebel98 and Bony-Bruce (FMZ’s mascot) starting in Nelson and heading north as far as Abel Tasman and then way south of Fox Glacier. 1500km of driving in our trusty rental.

We got here far too late, it was dark and we suspected the cache was way up high, wasn't sure about access so in the interests of safety and wanting to keep warm in the car, we bailed on this one. Next stop? Dinner in Nelson and sleep in a hotel.

Day 7 of a 9 day caching holiday in the Tasman region with GB Leader. After a couple of nights at Wainui Bay, it was back to Pohara and Takaka, before heading back over the Takaka Hill, stopping in Nelson briefly, then on to our accommodation in Picton.

Thought this would be relatively easy, but ran out of time after an unsuccessful hunt. Shame! Greetings from Wellington!

Just had to stop here and try this one again with fresh eyes and an extra set with TaybeeNZ. And TaybeeNZ came up trumps. I was still looking in the wrong places. Finally got this one tagged. Cheers

Saturday 13 Feb - Motueka - Takaka - Pupu Springs - Collingwood - Riwaka and back to Motueka. Another fun day.

A surprise call from Taybee NZ wanting to do the PWGT series inspired us to come to Tasman for a 3 day weekend with Zara and Toby. We explored some awesome spots in Collingwood, Takaka, Kaiteriteri, Riwaka, Wakefield, Nelson and Cable Bay. Thanks for al the COs who helped this happen. Enjoyed reading all the cache pages relating to NZs history and events.

Took me and mum a little bit to find this one. But found it after being poked in the eye by a branch and spotting the little blue clips in the corner of my eye. TFTC

Found it awesome stamp! Thanks

After parking up at the motor caravan park at Port Tarakohe I looked around and found that this cache was only a few metres away. So, it just had to the first of my stay at the park. No real problems. Thanks for the placement Juicy Fruits.

Very wet find!

Tricky find but glad we persevered. Found by my daughter yesterday. We were staying in the NZMCA camp site.

Awesome unexpected find. Great adventure with the kids!

Yep phone took me way past it but found it after a short search. TFTC

Boxing Day and starting to rain and thunder. Thought I would take the kids on a hunt. Finally found after about 20 mins of searching. My phone gps took me further up then needed. Took the travel bug with us.

I've found this cache before, but another visit was necessary now that I have a stamp for letterboxing. One trackable dropped off as well.

Found with my wife on a bike ride

JDScout and I went for a morning bike ride from the Top 10. This was our first find.
Thanks Juicy Fruits for creating this hide. It was find 9358 for me.

======== NZ Mega 2021 ========
Planning for the NZ Mega 2021 event is well underway. It will be held in Auckland over Labour Weekend, October 2021

First letterbox cache! Thankfully the wind today meant no one was really about; certainly no boaties game enough for this weather. Found after a bit of a search. TFTC!

#8529. I am over in the Takaka region on a work trip. After spending a couple of nights in the back country it was time to return to civilisation. After a debriefing of our field trip in the office I had a few hours spare before dinner to go and find some local caches. There were a few campervans in the freedom carpark but after checking the scenery and few of the interesting coastal plants no one was paying me much attention. So slipped into the bushes to find this one. Initially went a bit too high but after returning to a lower level I spied the telltale signs and soon had the cache in hand. The contents seemed OK so not sure why the maintenance note was needed. Signed the logbook and replaced the cache where found. Thanks Juicy Fruits for hiding it here.

Sorry about the wet feet & log .. I’m not physically capable of getting to this any longer but it shouldn’t be too hard to get someone to pop a new dry one in there for me so thanks for the heads up!

Day 7 of my 2020 NZE (New Zealand Experience).
(My apologies for the delayed logging but I'm in catch-up mode)

Seeing as I can't be in America right now, I'm touring around the South Island instead. During my time here I am aiming to find as many of the TMGT caches as I can (preferably all 41) and also as many Virtuals, Earthcaches and Letterbox Hybrids as possible, plus any Trads or others that will fill a hole in my D/T grid, my Jasmer grid, or else the last 3 remaining Hidden Dates on that grid.

After my huge drive of yesterday, I had planned today to be a bit more leisurely. I was delighted to get to spend some time in Takaka. It's been too long since I was last here, and I have wanted to get back here for a while to try to finish off an Earthcache I started about 2 years ago, so was using that as a great excuse to find a few others too.
What a stunning place Golden Bay is! The weather certainly helped too, as I drove from beach to beach enjoying all the scenery to be lapped up.

Having been brought here by the lure of finally getting to complete a particular Earthcache, I was happy to have a crack at finding any other caches along the way such as this one. This was a relatively quick and easy find at GZ. With no-one around I was able to sort out the usual field caching administration and replace everything as found before getting back to the campervan.

Thanks for placing this cache.

Phew that one felt like a bit of a mission.... but hunting here and there I got there in the end. My GZ had me right at the tippy top, but coming down later by layer I eventually got there. I could’ve almost reached it from the car.

A neat spot, thanks for the reason to stop.

We had been out fishing this morning and nana had found this one a long time ago and she told us this was here so we came to find it, I found it first and Diaz09 opened it for me so nana could sign our names. thank you I liked the rocks

We had been fishing but the sea was not very flat so I didn't really enjoy it today, but I did enjoy coming to find this cache that nana told us about. thank you

Nana told us about this cache that she found a long time ago, and after we finished fishing we came to find it while granddad cleaned the boat. the rocks here are very cool. the cache was cool, but we did not have any swag swaps with us so we did not take or leave anything. thank you

Thanks for the Geo ️ Sienna

I made that harder than it needed to me with a climb. Tftc

Haven’t found a letterbox hybrid for a while so this was a good one to find on our way to Abel Tasman this morning. TFTC

This is indeed a fine place for a geocache. Thanks for bringing us here.

Caravanning nearby so walk around a few local caches.
This one was a bit more accessible and screened that what I imagined. Thanks

Lucky #10 - great to start 2020 with a new type of cache find for me. Description was spot on and a fantastic area to hunt for cache as plenty of great potential hide spots. TFTC!

#1069. I like getting letterboxes and so while I was in the area I had to give this one a go. I really struggled with it initially though. There were many places that matched the hint and my geosense just wasn't working. I nearly gave up twice but luckily I didn't, after reading previous logs I eventually managed to find the cache. I was up way too high originally. Thanks for the cache!!

Spending a great time in New Zealand with canadianfriend75 we also have visited some caches. The country, the people, the nature, the cleanliness, ... amazing. Thanks to a special country for a great vacation and also TFTC

On our back to Takaka it was a quick find for RTB73 and me. TFTC

Quick find while staying at the NZMCA, camp om a very windy afternoon.
TFTC

Nice spot.

80m from where we stayed. Great spot.tftc

TFTC

See the enclosure but nothing in there?

Quick search

Been doing this a while now and this would be our 1st letterbox hybrid. In good condition. TNLNSL. TFTC.

Today is our 3rd day in the Abel Tasman NP after staying 2 nights at Totaranui. We spent today travelling and sight seeing enjoying the beautiful scenery on our way to the next camp. Loved the boat views here.

Thank you for the cache.

While I spotted the cache Mr Pazza2 spotted a large stingrays cruising along the coast. All in good order here. Tftc

Spent my day finding Caches around the Abel Tasman Drive and this was one of them.
My first Letterbox Hyprid!
Had some trouble getting there due to some muggles.

TFTC

Parked beside and in for the quick grab. Thanks for the cache

Good size cache in good condition here, just aware of being in sight of the campsite where we're staying!
Tftc
Tim and Viv - ddm

We found this cache during our trip in New Zealand. Today we said goodbay to the Golden Bay and drove to Havelock. We picked up some interesting geocaches along the route. Before leaving Golden Bay we visited The Grove and drove to Pohara. Some interesting D/T and a letterbox caught our attention. Near Nelson we picked up “I’m back”. It was published the day I started Geocaching and needed it for a challenge back home. Thanks for these caches!

I was there with cawabande. I‘m happy about a new stamp. Thanks für the Cache!

On a tour along the Abel Tasman Drive we also found this one very easily. Nice little hide.

Nice hide tftc

Found after having a drink at the NZMCA park where we stay for the night.

# 527
My first letterbox cache in ages! Enjoyed a nice walk along the beach to get here from top10 campsite. TFTC!

Quick find. TFTC.

Quick find. TFTC.

Staying nearby in the nzmca park in the caravan....pretty busy spot here with all the motorhomes and the boats going back and forth - so I got up early this morning to grab this one. Probably looked a bit odd standing up here but took a few pics of the area.....and made the fine at the same time.
TFTC juicy fruits

Found on Christmas day in the rain

Some muggle friends recommended this spot following their visit in January 2008 and so we added it to our itinerary when planning our NZ tour. Today the area was very quiet and peaceful, looking lovely in the sunshine.

We had no idea what the hint meant but the cache was in an obvious place which made it a quick find. It’s always nice to find Letterbox caches and we stamped the dedicated log and also stamped our record book.

After waiting for a group of muggles to walk by I retrieved the cache and sat on a stump to sign. Out of nowhere a dog came and jumped all over me and slobbering. The muggle owner rushed to grab it and dragged it away. If she saw the cache she didn't say anything. Lovely spot and great weather. TFTC

Headed over the hill today to grab a few solved mysteries and other assorted caches around this area. By the time we arrived here it was lunchtime, so we had a bite to eat before starting our hunt. All good here. tftc

Thanks for a little hunt

On the way to Taupo Point Track we stopped here to grab that letterbox. A lot muggle in this area. Tried our best to be not too obvious. This area has a lot nice places.
We found the box after a bit looking around.
Thanks for showing! Tftc

Found after the Nelson to Tarakohe yacht race (I was aboard Same Cafe, we came second!). I had some time to fill in, so I had a look for some geocaches. TFTC

Tries to hide it quite well! Found this one a while ago : TFTC!!!

We attempted this one twice yesterday but each time the heavens opened not long after we had left the sanctuary of our motor home. Thus morning is a totally different day - magnificent. Cache all dry and ok. Thanks for the cache Juicy Fruits.

What a difference a day makes..beautiful clear warm morning not a spot of rain to be seen...log all good and dry ..nice easy find as its foliage has been pruned ...thanks for the great placement

TFTC

TFTC found with dad on road trip our first letterbox!

Nice views

Easy find thanks

17:28
FITW GreenMenace
Some weird ground level birdhouse close to GZ?
The container was actually quite exposed so we put some more rocks around it. Looks like it has been just fine in the recent planting spree around here though.

TFTC!
#5682

I had just moved my snail shell from McKee's Memorial Reserve, Ruby Bay over the hill to Takaka and seeing that this was the closest at only 60m I decided to sign it off tonight.

Cheers for the cache.

I stopped here on my way to Abel Tasman National Park. The cache was quite obvious as there were some cutting works. I just covered it a bit with some sticks and rocks

TFTC and greetings from Germany! #1513

Took a bit of sorting out. Trust the GPS! Good cache, left a trinket

Taking a winter birthday break at Pohara Top 10 Holiday Park. Easy find now with all the cotoneaster cut down but very exposed to the self- contained parking area.
TFTC.

Relieved to find cache still in place as I didn't fancy carving another stamp, however due to recent pruning the area you'll be searching is now rather exposed so there's an increased need to be stealthy or have a friend run distraction .. I've left it in original position for now as the shrubs will grow back, but may need to relocated the hide a little further up track come summer when there's more people about ..

Fresh log, pencil & info sheet added ..

Great place to explore with the Seagnoid but no luck in finding this one. We will be back for another hunt. Cheers

I suspect the difficulty rating for this cache is a little low. Or maybe its just not there anymore. Either way, Taybeedragon and I had a lot of fun climbing all over this structure. Would havce been a favourite too. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Very nice setup and we'll hidden. Had a bit of trouble using phone but after reading comments had a rethink and a bit more hunting and there it was in all it's glory.
We'll done Juicy Fruits and thank you for the cache.

We are keen geocachers on holiday from Tauranga, gathering a few smileys as we go. We a bit at first, then moved along and spotted a likely geocaching hide and so it was. Cache is all good, plenty of swag, carefully replaced. Very quiet around here this afternoon, saw some manta rays cruising along in the shallows, but not much else, TFTC

Hello from Juneau, Alaska. Walked over from Ligar Bay on a sunny morning. I circled the area trying to figure out how to find GZ. I climbed a bit then moved around then found myself in a spot and "bingo" there it was! Great fun! Fav point! #3796

A beautiful morning in Golden Bay and we had dropped in our lines off the rocks of the harbour and fished for a while ( Stretch0 got a small snapper that went backi into the sea ) so then we decided it was time for caching parked close to Gz and after a short search in the wrong place we moved on and found the right spot signed both logs and put our stamp in the stamp book and stamped our book of letterbox stamps - thanks for the cache

Pulled up alongside and saw we were very close to GZ and after some rummaging around came up empty handed. Re-evaluated what we were doing and the hide was soon spotted and we now have another letterbox to our list TFTC

Didn't read the hint and made it difficult for myself. Then read the hint but couldn't find it quickly so had to move on.

A bit of hunting required but eventually rewarded. Great spot thanks

Bit of a scramble and phone not particularly accurate. Then something caught my eye. TFTC

Having done a job nearby we thought we would come and have a bit of a look around - the wind was fair howling and as we were preparing ourselves to get out of the campervan I realised that a wee boat the was in the middle of the harbour was now heading for the rocks - and a man on a yacht was watching as his wee boat floated away - we went around to the rock area to help but already some of the campers were down at the waters edge sorting it out. So while they all watched the boat excitement we went and found the cache - very cool rock tftc

Well that was an exhausting hunt! I told myself I was giving up and leaving about three times, luckily I stuck with it and spotted it just in time. Cool view over the harbour from the top, one that I haven't had a reason to check out until now, so thanks for that - another Geocaching gem . TFTC (3256)

It was fun climbing around here. Finally I could find the cache and log it!
Thanks for hiding!

What a fantastic rock to post a letterbox in!! Love the Lino cut stamp , that's given me the idea to do likewise so I can join that part of the game! Of course I took great delight in posting myself while exploring:-) TFTC!!

Always good to get a rarer cache type, so I wanted to make a point of finding this one.

All very quiet here on a winter Sunday morning; the couple of campervans nearby showing no signs on life.

I was able to find the path up without problem, but then zig-zagged around a bit as I tried to second guess where the hint was.

Eventually zeroing in on the GZ and I spotted a couple of things a little out of place despite the fallen leaves adding some extra camo.

Having moved those aside I was soon signing the log.

Nice one!

#1202

While staying at the nzmca park I thought I would be optimistic and take a chance to get this one without being armed with my gps. Yay spotted within not to long. Cheers.

I had to avoid some muggles and this made me happen upon the direct path right to the cache. So it was a quick find, which was just as well as the rest of the family had finished the rameka bike ride and were waiting for me to drive them back up the takaka hill.
Found a travel bug - will have to think of a good place to drop it off.

We headed over the hill to Pohara boat ramp and marina so my husband could go fishing .What a beautiful day no wind etc to go fishing and caching .So sir belac and I set off armed with GPS pens etc.We searched for ages finally located the cache and to get a letterbox in the process .Tftc We also left a travelbug.

I found this cache with Nanzie TFTC

First letterbox cache. Thankyou so much had me scrambling over many rocks . TFTC