TMGT New Zealand's First Capital (Bay of Islands) Okiato, North Island, New Zealand
By RussellSchool on 13-Sep-19. Waypoint GC8DHYB

#13,094. We had the old coordinates loaded up in the GPS and so went to search at the original location on Aucks Road in Okiato. Did not find anything there. Then we realised that the cache container had been relocated back in January this year. A quick diversion to James Clendon Place, where it was certainly a much more apt location to host New Zealand's first capital. Fortunately, GZ was all quiet at the time of our visit. Relatively quick find. The cache was in good condition, all nice and dry inside. Took nothing, left nothing, signed log.

Thanks for the placement, and for bringing us to these sites, 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.

We hope you enjoyed exploring and discovering the local history in the communities of Aoetearoa New Zealand. The Tuia Matauranga GeoTour has now ended. Thank you to the community for all the great logs, photos, and Favorite Points over the last 30 months. It has been so fun!

Didn't sign log as didn't have tweezers to get out! Cool spot though. Thanks for bringing us here!

A quick find with no one else around on a showery morning, and we were first to sign the replacement log. All good here, codeword noted. TFTC Fullofun.

New cache in place. New clue too!

I never knew that the first capital was here. We found a cable tie at the back but no sign of any cache. Isis58 contacted the CO, who said where it should have been but we never saw anything there. Logging with permission, thanks for bringing us here.

#11978

We searched every likely spot here and there aren't that many and all we could find was a couple of cable ties so assumed the cache must've once been there. We also went to the original coordinated just in case a cache was still in place there but weirdly enough that sign is also missing and I just couldn't really work out the significance of the kiwi sign, I like the new placement spot a lot more. Because we really need this cache because we can't come back I sent the CO a message - thanks for the prompt reply, We had already looked there and hadn't seen any sign of a cache so logging with the generous permission of the CO _ I hope you got to see some of those dolphins that you were hoping for. TFTC # 18,321

(# 7205) On a trip to retrieve the Auckland/Northland Geotour caches (TMGT/PWGT). Searched high and low but no luck. Many thanks to the CO for permission to log. Thanks for bringing me here.

TFTC found easily, we had more difficultly getting the cache notepad out! Bit a pair of tweezers in my car first aid kit done the trick!

Nice and easy find. Tftc

287. 5/90 for TMGT. Nice quick easy find after reading the hint. TFTC

I have been to this spot on caching business previously. Actually about a month before this tour was published! Finally made it back to get these tour caches. Cache was quickly found and a brand new logsheet was signed.
Travelled up from Dunedin for my first Mega event and wanting to sign off some geotour caches as well in Auckland and Northland.
Thanks for the cache, Fullofun
#3043

Coordinates changed from:
S 35° 18.217 E 174° 7.435

Coordinates changed to:
S 35° 18.171 E 174° 7.211

Distance from original: 1147.4 feet or 349.7 meters.

In line with request from CO the cache container has been relocated due to roadworks.

Road works taking place so am relocating it. Just need approval. In the meantime send a photo of the Russell Landcare sign at coordinates to prove you have been there. NOT IN A LOG though. Message or email please. I will then send you the code.

First time on the car ferry! Fun and saved me a fair bit of time rather than driving to the cache point. Tftc

#10,562. I have been away on a ten day road trip which has taken me from Wellington to the Far North and back home to Wellington. Of course geocaching was a major focus of the trip and hence I have sheets of papers with the caches I visited to write up logs. I made a few brief notes to help me remember the majority. It was a long hot summer road trip and a memorable one as I have now completed the first geotour and made good inroads into the second tour.

Today I am heading north on a 2 day trip to try and pick up most of the northern geotour caches. Its another super hot summers day. After visiting Paihia it was time to catch the car ferry to the other side of the harbour. I overshot this one so had to U-turn and return for it. Was a bit mystified about the sign until I found it lying at ground level. No problems accessing the cache either whether you are short or tall. But judging by the damage and position it might not be here next decent rainfall. Signed the logbook and returned the cache where found. Thanks Fullofun for hiding it here. Hard to imagine why anyone thought this spot was a great area for a capital. I can see why they quickly moved on to Auckland.

Found it. Hint object and cache are loose on the ground. Have put in a logical spot at same GZ but a bit more secure, and let CO know. Still there for collecting. TFTC fullofun. Lovin heading around picking up all your caches.

Quick and easy jamb.

We are in the area for a week taking a break from the big smoke and this is our first trip here off season. It's not sunny and hot but it makes up for it in being nice and quiet and super easy to get around.

We stayed in the area a few years ago but that was pre-caching so it was nice to be back and get a few caches. Parked across the street where there was a safe bit to pull over and then came over and quickly picked up the cache - Mrs Tuolei could see it from the car - but then she does have 20/20 vision.

Quick find and signed and replaced as found. Thanks for the cache, all good here.

We were on a few days away, with our bikes. After our bike ride today, we decided to get the vehicle ferry to Russell so we could get this TMGT one... didn't forget to get the code word on this one lol. Unusual hide a little tricky for a short person lol. SL. TFTC.

TFTC

TFTC.

kanoeboy found it while he made me watch from the car. TFTC.

Cool idea. Found with kanoeboy. TFTC

1184. 1:00 pm. It looks like people are searching in all the wrong places. Quick find especially with the hint. TFT(capital)C.

Cool place interesting favt

Up here on a holiday with the side goal of finding as many TMGT caches as we can.

Walking from here to Russell today. $1 each on the ferry. Now that’s good value.
A quick find. That’s another TMGT ticked off.
TFTC

We did feel a little exposed here. I had to pretend to be taking a lot of photo's every time a car past
Afterwards we drove down to see how much the ferry would be and ended up getting waved on, so just went with it. It was cheaper than we thought it would be.
Thanks for setting this up for us to find

Starting to collect the geo tour 1 down 99 to go

Cyclicalcaching and I went quickly up to Russel to grab some geotour caches after our diving trip. That one was easy to find! Thanks

Easily found this one! Not too
Many places for it to hide!

Thanks for the cache!

Thanks for a good find

Great find. Found with Yvettetb.

Took the car ferry across to Russell at midday and first stop was this cache. Parked across the road and walked over to make a quick find. All good here, TFTC.

Cache in dry state
Our third trip north (plus another that was Covid cancelled in August). Six TMGT caches done today to complete the GeoTour.
Tftc

Means we are nearly to the vehicle ferry - hip hooray! It sure beats the metal road we took to get here.

Got the ferry across from Paihia, both ways, for the visit to this quaint historical area. Parked down the hill some way and admired the interesting letterbox and headed to GZ. Grabbed the required codeword and replaced as found. Saw some other cachers on bikes here later in the day as we headed back to the ferry, pipped the horn.

It's the last full day in the area today and mrs and I decided we were going to head out of town and up to Waitangi and Bay of Islands. A also noted that there were some TMGTs to be grabbed in the area and they were to be the focus, the Kaikohe duo were a bit too far off route and so were left for 'another time'. A good day out and saw some great sights and the weather played nicely too, nice one. We started the day at the site of the longest foot bridge in the Southern hemisphere at Whananaki South.

Heading north for Christmas, we're off to Ngunguru for 6 days along the Tutukaka coast and accompanied by our youngest daughter, middle daughter and family, and will meet up with one of our sons and his family too, so a busy time. Had a great time away and ate well, watered well and a bit of fishing and kayaking, awesome weather mostly too in Northland.

We wanted to do the Geotour and grab this cache, however, with the traffic from the ferry, and our not so huge campervan but still big, there was no safe place to park and go for the cache.

North Island Campervan trip Day 9

After the fantastic holiday I had a few months ago traveling around the South Island, making the most of one of those incredibly cheap campervan deals available at the time, I figured it was worth taking a week off work before the stresses of the usual holiday period to enjoy some of the delights to be found around the top of the North Island.

This would be a great chance for me to seek out some targeted caches such as the TMGT ones as well as some that would help me with my Jasmer grid, missing minutes (for a couple of challenge caches I'm working on) and any other caches that caught my eye.

Last night I was able to spend the night in a small DOC campsite right on the beach in Woolleys Bay. My main intention for today was to get up to Russell in the Bay of Islands. I haven't been there in over 30 years, and was really looking forward to being there again. After that I was simply going to start heading back south again.
The sun was shining today, making the driving all the more pleasurable.

Having enjoyed a good few hours in and around Russell, I couldn't leave without trying for this cache. I was able to park close and then wander over to make the find. Once the log was signed, the whole lot was replaced exactly as found and I was on my way again.

Thanks for setting up this cache.

I took an early ferry over to Russell to grab some caches today. This was my first stop. TFTC.

Fun find

A good cache - thanks

TFTC

Tftc 7.23am

Thanks I did know the first capital of New Zealand was here abouts and it was not the capital for long.
Travelling around with Kiscardi collecting cache. Writing my logs once I’m home. Only 50 to go I had over 250 when I got home and I do not cut and paste my logs. Sometimes I have trouble writing something new. Sometimes it’s easy.

Touring around the North Island with NZ Bozzy gathering up the 60 TMTG caches and some oldies , celebrating a birthday with a 0 and also filling in some D/T grid spaces.
Sometimes we stop for a cache just cos we can. Had a great trip saw lots and achieved much .
Thanks for the caches , and especially the maintainence on the older caches

After our short ferry ride, this one didn't take long to find. Number 99 geo-tour find.

A quick find as we headed to our accomodation.

#6428

Lovely view. Quick find

A quick find on the way to the ferry but still no pen or even a pencil around. Being in a campervan instead of our car meant no extras hanging around. TFTC

Quick find on the way back to the ferry

Found together with NZYODA and our geodog Frodo

It's as kiwi as it gets tftc

On a road trip with Effie, picked up this one on the way to the ferry

# 1878 On a road trip, in a camper van, with the whole family searching for the Northland TMGT Caches. Found this one immediately after exiting the ferry, which i didnt have to wait for. No probs finding a spot to park the camper and a quick find at GZ. Visited the location of the parliarment buildings nearby, but all that is left is the 12 m deep well.

Thanks RussellSchool for this one. I have seen your name around everwhere but this is the first time i have been to your patch. Thanks for your contribution to the Geotour.

We took the ferry across and hardly had to wait, but there was a long queue to come the other way. Luckily we had other plans so it did not bother us. Nice quick find, TFTC!!

Away in the camper for a couple of weeks doing the TMGT caches in Northland and anything else nearby. No problem here but the road through the hills is pretty rough, we elected not to take the ferry. There was lots of storm damage, slips, mud, trees down but we got through with some very carful driving.

Thanks RussellSchool.

Quick park and grab. Log slightly damp after all the rain, but a fine day today (so far).

Thanks Russell School for another great find.

Decided to catch the car ferry and do a short walk to get a few caches. This was the first find for the day. Thanks for the cache

Quick easy find once I realised where it was located. My final Northland TMGT collected. TFTC

Quick easy find once I realised where it was located. My final Northland TMGT collected. TFTC

this was a last minute trip away to grab some geotour caches up in Northland, and the odd one here and there, weather was great back the day we headed home, thanks to all the COs for the placements and the enjoyment I had finding them.

Sign has been damaged slightly but thanks to fellow geocachers for the new hiding place.....on the ground.

Yebo RussellSchool

Back in this part of the country and had time for a cache (or two )

Tftc

Collected on the way to do some sight seeing in Russell before heading for our accomodation in Paihia.

What a fabulous idea to share the history of our great country with both visitors and locals.
It’s been a fun filled journey tripping around the countryside discovering the historic places that the Geo Tour has taken us. Today we travelled north in search of the final few. After a quick trip across on the ferry we had this one sorted within a few minutes TFTC.

not as small as expecting but good find, hard to find parking

He pai rawa ta mātou haerenga kia mau i ngā TMGTs. Ka noho toku hungarei kei te waka, ā, ka rapu ngā taonga māua ko KR. Our journey to get TMGTs is great. My mother in law stays in the car and I search for caches with KR. Tftc

A nice quick find thanks. #98!

Found on a drive up to Northland to pick up a few more TMGT, and have a holiday with my Ma.

Thanks to all CO's for publishing and maintaining their caches. Cheers.

Came for a drive from Whangarei today with the principal aim of scoring the Northland TMGT caches - this one was number 5 of 6. To my amazement I heard a kiwi calling in broad daylight as I walked towards the cache. Obviously someone has been doing a very good job of increasing their numbers in the area, and I was impressed by the number of road signs warning that they may be around. Some more very interesting history associated with is area too. Spotted the cache hide as I approached - signed log, recorded code, TFTC.

Yay

Found it!!

Easy find

Yay found it

Maybe the last one on a hot and humid day. Greetings from Scotland and TFTC

Went round in circles until i twigged where it was and parked. #99.

Ok this is what I'm here for, the TMGT caches. What a great excuse for a road trip. I'm really enjoying going back to some places I haven't been to for a while, and also visiting some new ones. I parked in the side street and nipped across the road to make the find and record the code word.

It was also nice to bump into the Cache owner on the Opua Ferry (he recognised the logo on the shirt I was wearing) and have a quick chat. Thanks for being part of the Tour by placing some caches in interesting spots.

Cheers and TFTC

Nice find while in the area with tmann421 today
Enjoying the trip north and the caches
Signed log as tm/ww NZ

Nice find with woolwood9 today.
*We enjoyed the drive / walk around the area.*
Stamped logs as tm/ww NZ which may just look like a black smudge on plastic logs!
TFTC
Thanks RussellSchool for the good caches.

With muggle niece visiting from Oz, today seemed like a good day to show her some of the sights in the BoI and introduce her to the world of geocaching.

Second stop after the Opua ferry ride was this interesting place and with the good hint, the cache was soon located. Signed log and then replaced safe and secure for the next finder. TFTC

It's there. Tftc

Found today

Well this was a bit unexpected, I managed to get an opportunity to get a long weekend and since I was making my way up to Taranaki, I decided that once I finished work on Thursday instead of making my way back home to Wellington I would make my way North.

I managed to book accommodation in Whangarei for the night and decided to check out what time the car ferry was going to make its first voyage over to Okiato in the morning and found that it was going to leave Opua just after 06:00. I decided to get a good nights rest and get up early this morning and managed to leave my accommodation just after 05:00.

The drive to Opua was a little bit quicker than I thought and I managed to arrive there a bit earlier than I thought that I was going to and once I arrived at the carpark, I noted that I was the first in the queue. After waiting for about 15 minutes I soon spotted the first ferry and then after it was unloaded, I was soon on board followed by the rest of the vehicles in the queue and we were soon on our way.

The ferry really didnt take long and I was soon getting ready to depart the ferry, and then it was time to go and grab my first cache. After finding GC84YYP - Well, well, well (Bay of Islands), it was time to go and get the next TMGT cache that I wanted to find today and it wasnt too far away.

As I got near GZ, I decided to go and park across the road from GZ and from there it was a very easy walk to GZ and I decided to read the hint and there wasnt too many spots that the cache could be and I soon spotted something and I soon realised that it was the cache.

Managed to retrieve the cache, opened, retrieved the code and signed the logsheet and then it was time to return the cache back to where I got it from. Thanks RussellSchool for placing this cache here and for bringing me to this spot. TFTC TNLNSL (15096). Would have never have come back here if it wasnt for the GeoTour.

Now it is time to go back to my car and go for the next cache on my way into Russell..............

D i s c l a i m e r:
This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author.

Otherwise, what one says may be construed as being what the entire one believes, thinks or condones, and this may be very inaccurate and damaging, or just complete fiction......

A super quick find on our trip to the beach today. Not sure how many caches we’ll pick up today as we are going a bit remote today but this cache was on my must do list!!! We all enjoyed the car ferry. TFTC

Heading to Elliots bay for a picnic and swim but had time to stop in here and grab the Geotour cache first. TFTC

Number 2 in the series for us. Have just spent the night in motorhome in Russel and breakfasted in Long Beach.
Now across to Opua to continue the quest.

**11,816**
Took the ferry across to this cache, we were fortunate to have barely any waiting time before we boarded and we were on our way again. Such a lot of rich history here. We have thoroughly enjoyed the Tuia Matauranga Geo Tour and are pleased to be ticking off the last few now. TFTC

Caching here with themexikiwi and her mum and getting our holidays in early with a stop up here for a couple of days.

Quick find here in a likely spot and we were soon on our way again.

Nice spot - TFTC

Caught the ferry across and parked on street opposite, no queue at this time so quickly made the find. TFTC

TFT(geotour) cache... this was the final one needed for our Northland region.

Took the tangata whaiora to Tapeka for their Christmas Lunch and had eyed this one up to retrieve on return.

Accompanied by muggle mum, spotted from where we parked across the road. Murphys Law brought what wasn't a muggle mover hotspot to a very busy intersection within minutes, so had to quickly grab and return to the geomover, drive down to another street to sign and made our way to return to its spot as fast as possible. Think we should've done this on foot really...or not on a 4x4 at least.

Thanks for placing and contributing to the geotour!

Log on excellent condition, plenty of room in the log... just dont forget to make note of the code word at the front

wonderful interesting place to visit thx.

Up north on the hunt for TMGT caches with boneybruce. Found this one in the rain, rather precarious on the side of the road and ran back to the car to sign it. Another historical spot revisited. TFTC

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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](http://nzmega.com) - you won't want to miss it!

Tramyard and I headed up north on a roadtrip to find the Northland geotour caches. We would have been up this way last weekend if I wasn't completing a half-marathon for charity and tramyard wasn't at a competition.

We left Auckland early and headed straight to the Opua to catch the ferry across the harbour. This was my first time over to this side of the Bay of Islands. We parked in the side road and made the short walk to GZ. A nice quick find before continuing to Russell.

Found with Aiden29 on Northland GeoTour caches weekend adventure trip. TFTC

On another mission to clear the North Island. Great to get these NZTMG caches cleared before attacking the South next February. Awesome Thanks.

I am logging using the Cachly app template so please excuse generic logging along the way. It’s just my way of keeping track, but I do genuinely thank each and every one of you cache owners for taking the time and energy to place these cache. Many Thanks for bringing me here. Cheers

Today is the final run to finish off our remaining TMGT caches bvut naturally we'll find a few more to keep ourselves busy.

I was a little worried this road sign was all there was gonna be here because in terms of a TMGT cache that would be less then ideal. But I see now the restrictions of the 161m rule lead to this placement and that you'd directed us to [Well, well, well GC84YYP](https://coord.info/GC84YYP) which was a neat spot with historical significance. The cache was found quickly and in good condition thanks to accurate coords and a straight forward placement. Cheers RussellSchool, TFTC

On a road trip north to get the last of the north island TMGT caches. Quick find here .
Tftc

After visits to Urupukapuka and Waitangi, it was time to head for Russell and NZ's First Capital. Parked nearby and made our way to GZ for a quick find. Recorded the Codeword for further reference. Thanks.

Awesome find.

Another lovely find around a stunning location TFTC Russell school