Off to the side Lower Hutt, North Island, New Zealand
By DarrenKeri on 09-Jan-17. Waypoint GC6Z3Z5

Love it! Thanks

I need a cache today, and TwigNZ is also working a streak, so we headed out after work. Found a fer for Twig, including some previous DNFs, then headed here - I only needed the one. There was a bit of cating around looking for the start of the track - I even found a bridge that lead to a track that goes for 4m and then stops. We also found a cute little bush walk - I might come back and map it properly. But we found the track start , it was heavily overgrown, only about 15m from where it is marked on the map, with a poison warning sign at its entrance. I'll edit the maps, mark it a little better. The track is very steep and very slippery, especially at the start, the first 50m. not too surprising after all the rain in hte last few days. Gorse is growing all over but it is not a problem yet. GZ was nicely off the trail and nice and easy to find.

Incidentally, the track was very steep going down as well!

The Friday before Xmas, and with my work 'do' finishing just after 4pm the choice was either join the queue of traffic trying to get out of Wellington or hang around for a few hours and go caching?

Caching won that debate hands down, so I took the opportunity to re-visit some previously DNF'd caches and a couple of others such as this one at the suggestion of the Seagnoid.

I'm sure this cache would have been easier to get to from above, but we tackled it from below. Finding the start of the track was a bit of a mission, but he eventually found it and then it was a case of making our way up the little-used track which is steep and treacherous due to the high clay content in the earth. Oh, and Gorse just for fun too. It's not mature enough to be a real issue yet, but it will be before long.

But eventually we get near to GZ, and I made the quick find whilst tS had gone a little too far up the track. No issues with the cache, and the log soon had our names on it before we made the descent. Here tS was much quicker than I was as I tend to be extra cautious to try not to end up on my arse!

Thanks for setting up this cache.

I had two false starts at this in the last couple of weeks - both times because despite leaving behind nice weather where I live, I arrived in Lower Hutt and was greeted by rain. Even hail on one visit. On one of those visits I tried to see if I could find the bottom end of the track that this seems to be on. I did not succeed.

Today was actually sunny in Lower Hutt and I walked up the riser to get the only other unfound cache on that route. I got to where the track apparently crossed the one I was trying to find and wondered "is that it"? I didn't look that inviting but there was definitely a path of some sort there. The descent was slightly tricky due to the clay but I arrived at GZ without my feet disappearing from under me.

Somewhat unbelievably the first thing I found was a beverage can. How did that get there? Then I spotted another as if there was a bogan convention nearby or something. Then I spotted an impressive little structure which had to be the cache - and it was. It's in fantastic condition so no issues signing that before rebuilding its little home.

At this point I wondered if I should go back up to the proper track but decided to continue down instead as was my original plan. The track was easy enough to follow but it was slow going due to the slippery surface. Luckily the encroaching foliage is mostly nice soft manuka and no gorse or other prickly buggers. With only about 30 metres to go and the polytech in sight things started getting more gnarly with some tricky drops and I popped out of the bush in a location that did not betray any signs of a track entrance. But I walked right by it on my previous reccy without realizing it was there. It's well and truly disused for use.

All in all a successful mission. TFTC.

Found this one on an extensive walk from the Wainui Hill Road to Naenae with some detours, twists and turns in between. Once upon a time I had found all the caches in the Eastern Hutt hills, but in the intervening years quite a few more have sprung up. Today's effort was to clean up most of these and find some challenge finals. A pleasant day's walk with Yeetrees, who came along for the company and to find a cache for himself.

TFTC DarrenKeri

Only one on my descendant on this little rough track. Indeed of the beaten path. TFTC p: Sherlock Hood.

This was a great way to get some good exercise before the rain hit. All is good with the cache with accurate coordinates and a container and its contents in very good condition.

Hot day developed during this walk up! Not a lot of people walk on this fire break because it’s overgrown.

Here for the day to see my daughter performing at the Wellington fringe. Headed up to the walking tracks. Was pleased as found 12 out of 14 caches. Good work out on the way up. Such great views over the valley. Cache all fine. Great hide. TFTC

I've walked up the Te Whiti Riser many times before and have picked up the other caches on the track a while back, but for some reason hadn't seen this one, so today was going to be the day - especially since it was such a beautiful day! It turns out this was a track I'd been on before - I remembered it well as I was slip sliding my way down there! My husband (Waiiti20) had found this track many years before when we had first moved to Waterloo (well before the Te Whiti Riser track came into being!). He'd seen the track in the hills and wondered how to get to it. He finally found the entrance (behind the Open Polytechnic) and from then on it was his way of getting up to the ridgeline quickly. I preferred the usual method of going up the firebreak, but at his many promptings I decided to try this track. I knew it was steep (he had warned me of it) so I decided to go down it rather than up, but ended up going down on the seat of my pants for the last part and bush whacking at the very end, so thank you DarrenKeri for taking me back down memory lane as I made my way down once again. I contemplated (very briefly) continuing down to the bottom, but the memory of a very sore bottom changed my mind thankfully! Cache found quickly as expected, andI had great fun in surprising some unsuspecting people walking the track by popping out unexpectedly. Cache # 9526 - only 474 to go! Mrs Waiiti20

We enjoyed our little diversion to get this cache. We were curious as to where the track would end up but were too sensible to give it a go, particularly as we did not have much daylight left. TFTC

#5410. First find at cache for 2018. Bit surprising really as its so close to the Te Whiti Riser track. I decided today I would get my dose of fitness training on the Te Whiti Riser. Been up the firebreak previously but never up the benched track. What an awesome track. Glad to see our rates being used to give us another superb path for hiding geocaches on. Ducked off the main track and down the slippery overgrown side track. Not sure about agcnz's comment that this track doesn't show on many maps. It's showing up on the first seven maps on the geocaching website! Didn't take too long to spot a feature that screamed out cache. Signed the logbook and replaced the cache back under rocks so its out of view. Thanks for the cache DarrenKeri. Claiming a miserable 1.36 km for the DGSC challenge - distance to find elective (probably walked closer to 7 km today in the loop around route I chose but sadly that doesn't count).

One of the EU crew out with grandad for a walk. TFTC

Great to come up here in the evening and check a couple of caches and search out this one with on of the Emvy_Us crew.. Cache all good. TFTC

Nice quick find while doing the Te Whiti riser walk for the very first time.

After all the rain the previous night and morning this was a little adventure in itself on the slippery and mossy clay ... great fun!
Nice to have a hide on a bit of an off-shoot from the main track.

TFTC!

Found on a chilly walk up the Riser and what a great track it is. TFTC

Nice change from the Riser by bike today. It will be interesting to watch the growth of the nearby rewarewa (currently about 50 cm high) and whether the orchid close by flowers next spring.
TFTC

I got a little side-tracked when heading up the Te Whiti Riser. The gorse got a little friendly but nothing I couldn't handle (especially with what I would encounter later on). Cache was a quick find, definitely no hint required! TFTC

Where 'just off track' = 200 m Glad the gorse isn't too overgrown at mo. Quick find after hot trek. TFTC DarrenKeri.

Today was a dot day, I hadn't bothered about much about the grid but as I had most of it filled in just in the course of normal caching I decided I might as well work on finishing it off.

I had this one in my sights for today but had to be careful about my timing as I had a brief but urgent message to do in central Lower Hutt and then wanted to get into Wellington for a concert. The area turned on one of those good days you can't beat Wellington for.

It seemed to take forever to get up the Riser because for a large part of the winding track the GPS was saying I was about 690 metres or so away, then it went up to 800 or so before finally starting to wind down. I was beginning to think I would not make it in time to get back for my commitments, but to my relief I reached GZ just at the right time to be able to sign the log and return. I would not recommend such a hasty approach to the Riser unless you are training or something, allow plenty of time, relax and enjoy the views and do the other caches too if you haven't already done them. It took me just on two hours at a moderate walking pace with only very brief stops from the Waiwhetu Rd bus stop to GZ and return. I wonder how long it would have taken coming along the Ridge Track from Wainui and down- possibly longer, I may find out one day as I need to do a trip along that track to complete a multi I have on the backburner.

The approach down the side path was a bit longer than I expected but not significantly so. Dry underfoot and fine with sneakers but I can see you might need your boots under wetter conditions.
The cicadas were starting to go crazy, I guess making up for lost time with the delayed summer, and I suspect they will probably get louder as the season goes on. At one point I had to dodge a few bees (or were they wasps? - I didn't take the time to find out!) crossing the track - a wide brimmed hat would have come in handy . The gorse was just a minor irritation- I was wearing long trousers but with shorts I can imagine it would have been more uncomfortable. If it grows over the track more over the next year or so it might be more annoying.

I wonder what the story is behind the side track- an old walking track and/or a trappers trail? Would have been interesting to see how far down it goes but time did not permit today.

I always am a bit hesitant when I see a CO says no hint required as they can be helpful where there are GPS issues etc, however in this case the CO is quite justified in not giving one and has obviously gone to some trouble to make a good hide which is still easy for a cacher to spot. I imagine this one will be pretty safe from muggles of which there probably aren't many around there!
TFTC and for an enjoyable though in my case too hasty walk up the Riser.

I enjoyed my walk along the Te Whiti Riser and down the side track. All good under foot. A quick find once I got there. TFTC

I had to visit a firm in Gracefield this morning so decided to come on and go for a walk up the hill. Not many maps have the track up here on them but fortunately I was able to find one that did and hence I found the starting point pretty quickly. The track is fairly steep and getting somewhat overgrown in places, also in today's light drizzle it was starting to get a bit slippery - that could be rather worse after a bit more rain. I'm thinking that because of this, the terrain rating could be increased a bit. No problems finding the cache, the coordinates were good and accurate. Signed log, TFTC

#8818. {FTF} at 10:42 and first day find. A good day to walk up to the Conservation Reserve in Waterloo this morning. The track and GZ were all quiet when we visited. Great views from up here. Quick find. The cache was in excellent condition, all nice and dry inside. Took nothing, left nothing, signed log.

Thanks for bringing us to the site, and …

.T h a n k s. .f o r. .t h e. .c a c h e.
.M a u r u u r u. .k o e. .n u i. .a t u. .h o k i. .t e. .k e t e r o k i.

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