Treasure Island #3 Whangamata, North Island, New Zealand
By G-2 on 06-Jan-16. Waypoint GC69AJ1

After a kayak out to Donut Island in BIG swells we continued on paddling to Hauturu Island. After pulling up our kayak on the sandy beach, we searched for the closest cache but came up empty handed. MrsJAG headed on up the island to find this cache while MrJAG stayed on the beach with the kayak. It was a fun walk towards gz along the trappers track and a rope to help get up and down the very steep part of the trail.

Once at gz, there were a few trees that matched the hint. And after a short search this lonely cache was found hidden under a pile of natural camo. Unfortunately the pen got wet on our travels and wouldn’t write so have taken a photo of the log - hope the CO is ok with this.

This one was planed one day before as I was expecting hard time to clear this one. I've been there twoo times before to explore the place and bring some friends there. This time was on a different mission, find all three treasures in the island, so I decided to start for this one, probably the tough one, the tide time was perfect nut the sweel tho, some waives to face, could water and one lady to toll away. Following the app's navigation and the Hint, in a bit I had the cache in my hands, now would have to go after the other two, but a little more confident this time.
The view from the look out is always amazing, worth it spend some there.
TFTC

Day 23 in Newzealand. Today we drove from Omokoroa to Whitianga. We visited Hobbiton, the Tunnel in Karangahake, the Mine in Waihi and made a kayak Tour to Donut Island.
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

Heute mussten Heckenstürmer und ich sehr früh los, da wir am Abend spontan entschlossen hatten, Hobbiton zu besuchen und noch kurzfristig Tickets ergattern konnten. Danach besuchten wir die Karangahake Gorge und machten mit dem Kayak noch den T5 Virtual "Donut Island". Da wir bis zum Ende trotz Wellengang fast noch trocken waren, liessen wir uns nahe des Strandes nock kentern

Greets from Switzerland

Find number 4666. After a visit over to Donut Island for the virtual I called here to have a look. Lots of people on the beach. No shoes so I gingerly made my way up the hill. This took some time. About the same time I spent looking for the well hidden cache. Pleased to have found I made my way back to the kayak and to the mainland. Thank you for the placement.

An exciting look-out to view over on the way over there! We later met up with a kayak tours guide who mentioned a grisly historical tale about this spot. Fascinating stuff. Fp

We were fortunate enough that we didn't need to worry about a rising tide, so long as the sea or anything else didn't steal our kayaks off the Island. I put the gps onto a topography map and so that made things clear enough which course to take.
The tricky part was climbing the hill in our ill-fitting water shoes. The terrain was nice and dry which helped but Oh ouch, when we hit any sticky up pokey type branches or roots, our sea slippers didn't give much protection.
It was a nice little climbing work-out that gave us a breath taking view from the top. Great fun G_2! F/p

. The tides were perfect so we couldn't miss this opportunity. TNXPro and I made the crossing through lovely clear and warm water even though at times it was up to my waist. We quickly spotted the track up and up but we were certainly rewarded with great views from the lookout. Some young people were there on our way up and Dave kindly helped by taking a requested photo of there group. We carried on to GZ and spotted the likely hint option. It took a couple of circuits and the clever amp/ hide was spotted. Another fav from me. TFTC

Well I wasnt expecting to be back in Whangamata so soon. With some unfinished business on the island and the added attraction of some new caches, I made my third visit here, all in one week. This time with NZFlossy and muggle wife.
The island was a major attraction for me as I had run out of time on the last visit and the tide time was perfect.
After a quick find at the first cache, we scanned the GPS for this one and the number of contours on my map suggested the cache was at the top, so we located the track and scrambled up the hill, following some teens up. They posed for a photo together at the lookout point, and very politely (yes, I was surprised) asked if I could take their pic for them. I obliged and left them at the top of the cliff and continued up the track catching up with Flossy.
The cache was cleverly disguised and blended in well, but luckily it was found quickly.
The descent was a little trickier, but we were now relieved that we still had plenty of tide time left for one more cache.
Thanks for bringing me here. I loved the experience and for that another fav point.
TFTC

Up visiting the area with Team BOP a few weeks ago . Only just logging now sorry been really busy. We went wrong way to start Doh eventually made it to the top and Philip Perry made another find.
Tftc

Found it!! Easily reachable from path. Hannah found another. Awesome spot!!!!! Happy caching

1.20am - Good walk up to top today with day been fine and hot. Bit of a search to find this one and be careful getting this cache as ground under foot is a bit soft. SLTFTC

Time for another TEAM BOP road trip this time with Davidson Clan, Squirrelnutcase, McJandals, FapAndGap and my two boys. The crossing was straight forward and a bit of fun with the kids but now it's time to get serious. The track is steep in places but there are a variety of holds and you're soon rewarded with a great view over Whangamata. The cache took a bit of searching but naturally after clearing all the cob webs and putting my hand in a spot I didn't want too - we soon had this standard G-2 cache. Learnt to stay away from any flax plantings no doubt designed to secure loose ground around the top edges of the island... had a little scare while searching the wrong area so it's important to note - although the track is not maintained and becomes quite thin in places, the cache is reachable from the track/path. Cheers G-2 TFTC

On another team trip with part of Team BOP. HAD THE TIDES IN OUR FAVOUR TODAY. A LIL WET GETTING THERE and back, BUT WELL WORTH IT TODAY. BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE AND WARM WATER. STARTED A LOT OF ROCK HOPPING TO THIS ONE AROUND THE ISLAND GOT TO ABOUT 40 Meters and looked up the sheet rock face, duh wrong way!! Back we went before the climb up, well worth the view amazing, many thanks for bringing us here. Cheers

We left it a bit late as we had a detour to grab a FTF in Waikino.......so decided to go high first and grab it so we could watch the tide on the lower two ...so up we go ...there’s a special adjective used on many occasions when you look up and say that’s really - - - - steep and I am in a hurry ...but not perturbed Up I scurry and as luck had there’s a bunch of multi trunked trees ...bother ...the GPS said here ...she went there. ...and it was over here lucky as quick and easy signed returned and back down ...lots of people wanting to go up ...it’s killing my time ...thanks G2 for nice tidy camo great placement and all round great cache

After leaving late, then a detour for a FTF at Waikino, we left our run with the tide a bit late - oh well, lets see how we go. Met a couple of likely lads wading back, but no time for gossip. Headed up first - a great up. Loved the clamber up and across. Took a bit of looking for the correct hint item, but then spotted the nice hide. Signed and headed back, but had to wait for others who wanted to climb (slowly) just because they could - agghh! Great spot up here and a fantastic view. Thanks for bringing us here G-2.

With Gap (of Fap and Gap), (Mr) Davidson clan, Mc Jandals, Philip.Perry, Blue Steel, and Little Joe... We used our group name: Team BOP to sign in.

Our big focus for today was Wentworth Valley. We figured there’d be plenty of time, so we decided to factor in a clean up of Whangamata... The weather, time and tide seemed right for a nice little assault...

The scramble up wasn’t so bad. There were plenty of hand and foot holds to help with the climb. We got about 3/4 of the way, when a couple came between us on their descent. That split us up and it was a tough recovery from that point. We climbed out at the lookout, and there were no track markers from then on. We had roughly 140 metres to the cache.

This one proved to be a typical G2 cunning hide... It took a few scans to sort this one out. The ground was a little bit soft in places, so take care where you tread... Our return trip was quickened by the turning tide. We were surprised to pass another BOP couple mid water... They were heading to the Island... TFTC.

2 put of three not bad good fun getting back tried one of these in oz off lake conjolA but failed as too much flow to cross estuary had to drive a headland by that time too risky as tide on way in so happy to get this one.

No visit to this island would be complete without going to the top.That was a good cardio workout but well rewarded with the views and this cache. This island is a real gem.Tftc

Heading over to Whangamata for the day to visit some friends with the family, and managed to get away for a few hours to find a few geocaches in the area. When I know I was heading over here today I quickly checked the tide times to see if I could make this cache work, and it turned out the tides worked perfectly for the day. I was very surprised at the amount of people that were out on the island today, but most were hanging out on the beach and not exploring the island, though a few were spotted on the trail. Lungs and legs were struggling a bit once I got to the top and the afternoon heat wasn't helping matters at all. Some great views here and there as I made then rest of the way to the cache, and a bit of a search revealed the cache. A awesome spot and a great adventure, worth a fav point.

Well, what a blast! We made a trip over to Whanga today and looked up the tide timetable. Walked over through the water an hour beforehand and headed left and found the track up to the top. I hadn't realized that to find this cache we needed to cover most of the ground along the top (heading east - and a little south) but eventually we came to the right spot and after some hunting around, found the cache. I had already found the other two island caches on a previous trip over - I hadn't realized that this cache existed at that time... Anyway, it was a great hike up to the top and we thoroughly enjoyed it. TFTC - scores a favourite from me

No luck today. Based on the description and clue I thought I might be able to wing it without GPS (thus avoiding risk of getting phone wet). But no such luck. Good fun going across to the island though.

After spending longer hunting for Treasure Island #2 today, than we had planned, and with the low tide being quite a 'high' low tide today, we were very aware that we were now a bit pushed for time. But having made a special trip today to try and claim these island caches, we decided to give this one a go.

No time for mucking round, or admiring the views today, it was straight up the hill as fast as our legs would carry us! Luckily, the path was reasonably easy to find, all be it a bit of a climb in parts. The cache was quickly in hand, log signed, and straight back down we came...

Thanks for another challenging cache.

wow, what a climb to this one! had to make a separate trip as my GPS battery died after finding #2... always nice to come back to the island though had some trouble with the GPS signal near to GZ but eventually made the find. great climb, thanks

A quick hike up the hill at low tide with firebird9 and Nikki and Dean great hide!

The timing was right today with low tide at 12 o'clock,with a bit of climb had it in hand in no time. TFTC

Nice hide! Jandals only for the brave or the stupid.... Not sure which we are yet. #TFTC

Yaah a Monday off work. Using it to the best of my caching abilities too! This the third time in 3 days to come and check out the low tide waves here (in Whangamata) before making a crossing. Yesterday I bought new shorts for the occasion and so I'm ready to rock. Tide looks good, in we go... Rebel joins us today, with rusty and supernanny. No sweat getting across to the island and I quickly put my boots on for a run up to the summit, that's if we can find an entrance, which didn't look too promising but Rebel was up to the challenge and soon gathered the others together for the climb. Shot up asap, time's marching on, we were 30 mins late getting here, because we were at the bakery - again, and I was buying some waterproof conainers for the cellphones and keys etc. I loved this climb, not sure about the others, but a bit of sweatin' was going on! I found the cache in rapid fashion, made ourselves famous by signing the log and off we go, no time for chit-chat, we want to find another cache before we head back to the mainland...... cheers G for that.

Log to follow

So exciting ! Had been looking forward to this excursion since I had heard about the new cache up the top of Hauturu Island ! Also this time there were going to be 4 of us so it would be 4x the fun , and four sets of eyes for searching !
I had not realised how much fun it is caching in a group as I usually cache on my own . Will have to do this more often !
Anyway , this was finally the day to do it , so we assembled at the nearest point and set off across the water ! . Gorby had purchased some waterproof containers for our phones and gps s ...they worked well too !
When we got to the island we decided to do the highest one first as we didn't know how long the scramble up would take ! No idea where to start off , but Rebel98 found the proper track ! So up and up we went ! Luckily there were lots of roots to hold on to as we had to climb up on all fours.....!
Once at the top we looked at the Lookout , wouldn't want to get too close ! Then after a short stroll Gorby had his hands on the prize ! aka the cache ! Nice and easy after the effort to cross the water and climb to the summit ! No time really to properly look for our other unfound cache as tide had turned !
Finally the return walk ! Soggy clothes all round...Much higher this time , chest height ! Off to change our clothes and get more Whangamata caches .Thanks Glyn and caching buddies Favourite of course !

After some lunch, it was time to make our way to the Island. Our 3rd attempt! The waves and sea looked a lot calmer, so with gorby, rebel98 and supernanny, we made our way across.

The water was reasonably calm, and was at knee/thigh height. rebel98 found the well worn path to GZ, a bit of a scramble up, but no time to muck around, as we started this later than we intended, so it was a bit of a power walk to the top. Gorby was first to the cache, the log signed and we were on our way, stopping at the look-out for a couple of photos.

It would have been good to explore further, but the clock was ticking, and we had to make the crossing to the other side, as it was already 1 hour after low tide The waves are a little higher on the return journey, and it was much harder pushing self through the water. The lifeguard quad bike passed me on the beach, whilst I waited for the others - they did not stop, so I guess they were not worried - thought I might get a lecture LOL

Thanks for the hide, we will be back for #2 maybe next year, got to save something for next time!

After a false start the day before, the stars aligned and 11hpg11, alpenmilch80 and myself bravely crossed over to the other side, trying to ignore the young family crossing over with their small baby making it all look very easy.

We managed to get ahead of them as it was time to climb though and had a good old fashioned grunt up the hill which eventually flattened out and presented us with the cache. All in good order and then it was time for the climb back to lower ground. Awesome spot and glad to have made it across finally. TFTC

Teamed up with Alpenmilch80 and Evilno9 to grab a few caches round Whangamata. After swimming/wading out to the cache in the estuary we decided we were already wet and dirty enough to give this island a try. The tide wasn't as low as it could have been which meant we had a great leg workout wading through the knee height water (or ankle height for Evilno9!). A few big waves but not too bad. Followed a baby to the island and if the baby made it I knew we could. Ok the baby was being carried.

A quick hunt around for the track and we were soon up on our way. Not too bad today but could imagine it could get slippery. Made it up in fairly good time and passed the baby (and parents) at the lookout and soon found ourselves at GZ. A quick hunt and the cache was soon found. Although now I am wondering what is further on!?!

Thanks for the placement, a cool island adventure!

Being already wet from the previous find and with the low/mid tide still in our favour 11hpg11, evilno9 and I started to cross over to the island. Enjoyed the waves and the little workout.
On the island we scrambled up to GZ which was tricky with our wet shoes. Easy find at GZ. TFTC

Pleased a local told us where to find the start of the track, made the visit to the shoreline cache worthwhile having another one over here. Pleased I had kept my sandals dry on the wade to the island as it was a steep short hike up a rough locals track. Great view from the lookout and managed to sneak away further up the track before the muggles realized we hadn't gone down again. Believed the gps and soon the going got easier, got to gz and tried to use the hint, starting to widen the search area when again our faithful Garmin CX60 brought us back very near the track and sharp eyes soon spotted the loot! Clever camo. TFTC enjoyed the challenge and still have time to get the other as the tide is just turning now!

Headed over here today with the good Dragon to collect a few caches then catch up with friends at the Wentworth Valley campout.
This was our second of the day and a great little little walk all down hill to get here. Had heard reports of this spot by kiwis69 so thought it was worth the investigation. Although the day may have been overcast it was still a sight to behold and another reason for getting out of the house. Another great example of why I enjoy caching so much as its all about the places that it takes you too (and the numbers of course).
The scramble up here in the greasy conditions was not too bad, actually felt safer going up rather than down
thanks for the placement, Thanks for the cache

With low tide at 11:50am today, slieschke and I arrived at the beach at about 11:20 ready to head over. Rain on and off and some swell coming around the island and criss-crossing over the bar but looked good. We waited for alpenmilch80 and evilno9, and when they arrived we headed into the water, right on low tide. The other two turned back when it got past knee deep (although to be fair it was alpenmilch80's choice of footwear, not the water depth) and slieschke and I headed on over. A bit of a slippery scramble up the hill and once at GZ a couple of minutes before we got to the right spot and had the cache in hand. Fave point for the adventure. Headed back down, slieschke in front and heading to another cache he had not found yet on the island, and me a little more slowly as my water shoes were *very* slippy - and ran into Cats and Dragons on his way up. Waited for C&D to come back down before crossing back - water a bit deeper and choppier on the way back but no problem. Thanks for the adventure! TFTC!!!

Missed the FTF by about 15-20 minutes, darn!!! Staying in Whanga for the weekend and the initial plan to get up early & search for this one was thwarted by fantastic bonhomie with some mates and a very very late night! Having missed the early am low tide, the revised plan was to kayak across during the morning but it then transpired the required kayak paddle was broken. Not enough of a FTF hound to go & rent the required gear, so the further revised plan was to await the afternoon low tide. Opted to take the kids along and so we waited till the walk across looked safe for all, not just the grown-ups. Shame we didn't go without them a bit earlier lol! As we reached the shore, I saw someone arrive back on the beach from the up hill track, check their handheld device, dash over toward the shore-front rocks and rock-hop whilst still checking their device. Was 100% confident this was a cacher when they stopped & started checking around the area where I knew there was another cache hidden. Disappointed but persuaded the kids it might be a newbie who hadn't gone up the hill 1st - a slim chance but we decided to dash up just in case.

Scrambled up the roots and rocks in our jandals (longstanding family tradition - only tourists wear boots/trainers to get up here!) and finally reached the more level path. Followed the overgrown track as it wound around, trying to get the GPS to settle and then, hearing voices behind us, the kids started checking out random likely hint items in the hope of a quick find before the muggles caught up with us. Bingo! Nice camo, as expected from this creative CO. Not a big surprise to see the log already signed ... serves me right for a lazy lie-in haha !! Managed to replace the cache before the muggles arrived and retraced our steps back down the hill, stopping for the pre-requisite photos at the look-out. A gorgeous location and always a fun adventure with the kids, even if no FTF for us today. Thanks heaps for the cache placement and the incentive to climb up the hill, instead of just our usual cruise over to this lovely little beach

Yay - empty log sheet! I didn't expect that! Awesome views at the lookout. I wander where the track leads to? It took me a little while to find the cache as first I didn't completely read the hint. But that part was not quite accurate anyway! Great hide, a fave for inspiring me to get out here .

After getting back to the main shore I managed to convince the rest of the family to cross over now that the tide is really low - about knee deep. Cool little adventure! Will be back for the other island cache I didn't get around to finding. Thanks.

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