#LOVETAUPO Adventure Lab BONUS (Waikato) Waipahihi, North Island, New Zealand
By rustynz on 09-Jun-21. Waypoint GC9CJHG

#4264 Today is day 40 of my geocaching vacation in New Zealand. Today, I spent some time in Taupo before driving to Rotorua. Finally finished my Taupo day tour before it got too late. I had an idea where this would be after getting some of the locations done. After getting all 5 locations and the numbers, I drove to this one. There were some stray(?) dogs barking at me and some fellow NZers at the parking. They were talking about the place being a bird sanctuary 25 years ago when they last visited Taupo. After we parted, I quickly walked to the final and made the find. rustynz, thank you for the cache! -crystaloops from Taipei, Taiwan on November 9, 2024 @ 17:54:37[GC9CJHG] #LOVETAUPO Adventure Lab BONUS (Waikato) was a D2.5/T2.5 Small Mystery Cache at the time of finding.

Stage 3 of our trip is a few days on the North Island of New Zealand. Thanks to all the COs for placing and maintaining caches for us to find. Day 1 Quick find at the Airport when arrived before we headed down to Pirongia to say with friends. Day 2 I spotted a multi in Hamilton which took us on a tour of street art. So we headed into town for a stroll around. After lunch, a walk was in order so we stopped at Lake Ngaroto and walked and geocached around. Day 3 we drove up to Coromandel stopping along the way to see the sights and of course geocache!Day 4 Up early to head eastwards and a leisurely drive back down the coast. Day 5 we headed down to Taupo for lunch and an afternoon of caching. Lovely place to visit. Luckily we chose the nearby AL stage as our last so didnt have too far to go to get to the bonus.

Great walk to find this one! Enjoy!!

A nice walk down not so nice up the day after Taupo ultra

Found - Mrs McMike2012 & I live full-time in our caravan travelling around NZ, visiting the places we want to visit & doing the things we want to do and fitting in a bit of Geocaching here & there currently heading down South for a week or so we had picked up the Adventure Lab here a while ago, on one of our previous trips through the area, but didnt have time to do the Bonus, but today we did ended up being an easy find, log-book completed & promptly replaced pleased to add another 'smiley face' to the tally TFTC ... TN:LN:LS #5,783 for Us!

Thanks for bringing us to this cool spot! Enjoyed watching the vantage point but we were probably too early for activities and the temperature was pretty cool. Giving a FP for the nice spotTFTC

Tftc. Stunning location

This Adlab has taken so long to do lol. I had completed the first two stages probably a year ago. Today I was back in Taup dropping off clients and waiting for the next ones to arrive. In between I grabbed a few caches and completed this Adlab to claim the bonus. Final is somewhere I had never been to before. Container was found quickly and is in good condition. Thanks for this adventure.

We had finished off the Ad Lab on our last trip South and didn't get a chance to sign off on the bonus. One of the team is locating down country so stopped off to complete the formalities. Stunning day in Taupo today and they bided their time watching some comings and goings after signing. Thanks for setting this up,.

A quick little overnight trip to Hawkes Bay and then up to Taup and back home to find some Adventure Labs and to hopefully qualify for the S39 Challenge.After completing the adventure lab over a year ago, it's only fitting that I come and pick up the bonus the next time I passed through. Lovely morning at GZ.All good here, and thank you to rustynz for the placement of your Mystery Cache.Find #6696 at 27 April 2024 9:05am

Stopped at this cache while visiting **New Zealand**! [^]**My #151st visited Geocaching country!**---This cache was easily found and the logbook was signed.One more smiley face for me in the GEO map.Everything was in good condittion.Very interesting adventure, but I was very dissapointed about final location.Thank you for hiding this cache and showing me this place! ---Greetings from ***Riga, Latvia***! [^]**Happy caching!**----------***For a little entertainment, here are 10 Fun Facts about Latvia!*** 1) Latvia is among the worlds greenest countries.2) Its home of the first Christmas tree.3) The Latvian flag is considered by many to be the oldest national flag in the world.4) Country has the widest waterfall in Europe.5) Latvia boasts the finest Art Nouveau architecture in the world.6) Jacob W. Davis, a Latvian tailor, was an inventor of rivets on famous Jean pants.7) The Latvian Song & Dance Festival is recognised by UNESCO as the largest amateur song and dance festival in the world!8) Alexander Laime, a famous Latvian-born explorer. He is most noted for being the first recorded human to reach Angel Falls (highest waterfall on earth), located in Venezuela, by foot.9) Latvians love basketball and Ice Hockey.10) Latvia is famous for being the home country of the inventor of the flavor of Pringles.----------..\*""*.,,.*"",..,*"",.\...\ ------- **MATISONS!** ------- \....\*""*.,,.*"",..,*"",..\.....\......\ /// \Paldies/ Aith / Ai / Thanks / Merci / Gracias / Danke / Bedankt / / / / Tak / Kiitos / / / / Ksznet / Grazie / / / Whakawhetai / / Dziki / Obrigado / Mulumiri / C / Hvala / Dky / Teekkrler / Ngiyabon / / / Tak / Kiitos / / / / Ksznet / Grazie / / / Whakawhetai / / Dziki / Obrigado / Mulumiri / C / Hvala / Dky / Teekkrler / Ngiyabon

We are back in New Zealand to have the holiday we should have had 4 years ago, Covid-19 put and abrupt end to that holiday. We have got a few places earmarked to visit, Lake Taupo, Napier and then Palmerston North.Our last day in Taupo. before we head off tomorrow to Napier. We are with family and friends primarily for the V8 Supercar races. Out today to finish off the Love Taupo Ad Lab and pick up any stray caches on the way.Greetings from the UK.Having completed the Ad Lab we had a coffee in town so that I could work out the final coords. Having put the new offset into my GPS I was amazed as to how far away it was, over a mile. So we decided to drive, I had a good idea as to where I needed to go as we had passed this place earlier in the day. Parked up and I dropped the wife off at the viewing area, the walk down to GZ and back again would have done her in. Now to find the cache. My GPS was telling me that I was only 150 feet from GZ. So off I headed down, down, down and down a bit further. Eventually got to GZ for a quick find. Now for the trek back up to the viewing area to pick the wife up and head off back to our accomodation.Log signed and cache replaced as found.Thanks to rustynz for placing.Find 2 of 2Total finds 3583

Found with my wife.

JDScout and I are spending 15 days traveling up to the Coromandel from our home in Christchurch. We are taking our camper van and E bikes. Our journey up and back will include a few stops. The aim is to spend 10 days on the peninsula. Today is day 3JD found it. He likes to say, " see dear you have to stick with the experienced" , . Guess what he was the one that found it.

Quick found, TFTC.

Day 8 Lake Taupo, New Zealand. A day spent enjoying the geothermal springs and searching for a few caches, of course.This was an enjoyable adventure around Taups sights. Im glad I rethought my attempt route after checking the map.Log signed and replaced as found.Thanks for the Bonus cache Rustynz #7,870

We had a lot of fun with the Adventure Lab around Taupo with some nice walks.Finally we looked for the Bonus. Thanks for showing another beautiful spot!TFTC #3064

Finished the Adventure Lab during the last days and visited this Final now as well. Very nice spot!TFTCMikeLima #3082

TFTC. Pleased to get this one signed off. Nice walk beside the river.

No pen Tfth

Last morning in Taupo and picked this bonus up following the maze down from Spa Road (there maybe a flatter way). Cache in good condition thanks rustynz.

Enjoyed collecting the info yesterday and took a short walk to the final this afternoon . Spectacular area not visited before! Thanks

We enjoyed the adkab and would never have visited this location without the bonus. Great place. TFTC

Accio 17:36:04On tour of North Island, T4mmmy and I are in Taupo today - day trip from Napier. What a gorgeous place. The township was adorable, the lake spectacular, we saw a few parts of the river, including the falls earlier, and now this great little spot. Great AL.Thanks rustynz for entertaining me at this location. *{Overall find #11806}*

Found with Pprime`.

### Around the world in 85 days - Step 8 - New Zealand ###My wife GM70 and I are traveling around the world enjoying beautiful places in many countries.After spending an entire day at the places introduced to us by the Adventure Lab Cache. It was sure that we also had to get the bonus cache. Thanks for the nice tour. All the best from AustriaBaumi_Bon the road with my wife GM70

Einmal um die ganze Welt,...Heuer haben wir uns den Bonus abgeholt. TFTC Liebe Gre GM70 Unterwegs mit meinem Gatten Baumi_B

Started the Ad lab yesterday but due to the heavy rain we didn't finish it until this morning. Solved the Ad lab bonus co-ordinates & headed off. Cache was located quickly. Watched a few bunny jumpers do their thing.

Finished the ad lab off this morning, then off to find the bonus. A nice quick find thanks to the hint. Tftc

I'm visiting New Zealand for a tour around the country . First I spent 2 weeks in Auckland. Now I'm touring the North Island. While enjoying the sightseeing I also visit some caches. This is one of them. Thank you for showing me the place and thank you for the cache . Greetings from Switzerland .

A beautiful sunny morning with great views of the snowy peaks in the distance across Lake Taupo.

A short walk from the car park to find this bonus….another favourite point on it’s way

Many thanks for the Ad Lab and this bonus
rustynz

I had a lovely walk/drive around Taupo completing the associated AdLab gathering all the info required to calculate the final coords for this bonus cache.

I started walking down the track and then thought better of it as I didn't want to walk back up it. So I drove down nearer the river and walked to the GZ from there.

Cheers for the cache, rustynz.

Headed down to Taupo for a long weekend to attend the Possum Night Trail run on Saturday. Left Auckland early on Friday, getting stuck in the traffic on the way to Fieldays at Mystery Creek. Soon left the State Highway to travel down to Turangi before traveling up to Taupo.

On Sunday morning I left my accommodation early to get a good start on the day as I wanted to make the most of the time I had before an event in Hamilton later that night. This park was right down the road from my accommodation, but it was still too dark to visit at 7am when I was on my way to breakfast.

I instead headed up to Huka Falls for the ad lab stage, before returning for the ad lab stage, as indications from prior logs lead me to believe the final was closer to this park than further north.

I found the closest place to park for this final as I had strained my ACL walking about 50km over the last two days including 13.8km the night prior for the trail walk/run over mountain bike trails, and was pretty slow moving knowing that I still had to use the leg on the drive home. I enjoyed this ad lab and the places that it took me to.

My favourite Ad Lab so far. Beautiful spot for cache. Have never been here before. Will give it a FP. Thanks for bringing me here

Found today after a trip around some local sites. Thanks

The Ad Lab was fun. took me to a few places I haven't been to in quite a while. The bonus was in a spot I've never been to before. Cheers and TFTC

Thoroughly enjoyed the Adlab and once at GZ no problems finding the cache thanks to the excellent hint. Then we stood and watched the bungee jumpers. TFTC

Another long weekend, and despite the weird weather we've been having all over the country I still managed to get away up to Taupo (from Wellington) for four days of summer fun that included the annual Taupo summer concert as well as some lake kayaking and some geocaching.

I left Wellington straight after work on Thursday night and drove to Taupo. Despite the rain I was able to collect a few caches along the way. Friday was my main day for driving around the area and doing both the couple of Adventure Labs. Sunday was mostly about the kayak, and a particular cache that I could only get that way. And Monday was the drive home again for a few more road side ones on the way back home.

I had no problem gathering the Adventure Lab data and calculating the final location. Once there, the cache was soon found in a lovely quiet area.

Thanks to rustynz for placing and maintaining this cache.

I enjoy each and every cache I find, and it is only with CO's like this placing them out in the world that this wonderful game continues.

Had intended to visit several of these sites during our short stay in Taupo. Pleased to see there was a Ad Lab available. Lovely location for the final bonus.
Many thanks for setting up.

Lovely wander around Taupō to the tourist attractions. A nice quick find and TFTC

We did the lab cache series on a previous visit but was heading in a different direction, so left this final.
Back in taupo so stopped here for a walk (the legs are pretty sore after doing the Tongariro Crossing yesterday) and to grab this cache.
A couple of muggles walked past, but no issues.
Thanks for setting this up

TFTC and greetings from Czechia.

Staying in Taupo for a few days over from Bath in the UK.
The final spot is stunning, so worth the extra walking for all the stages to get here.
Huka Falls was of course a must visit anyway, so apart from having to wander a bit in the rain to the other parts, this mornings final sojourn made up for it all. Many many thanks

The AL was quite a bit of driving around and some hiking, too. When I got to this final, Google maps had me park at the road, which made a longer hike to get the cx. Parking coords are always appreciated.

I forget if I needed to take a picture for this stage. I guess I was distracted. See the attached. Just another reason to #LOVETAUPO. TFTC.

Having spent time over the last two days finding the points of interest for the Adventure Lab and deciding we still had a bit of oomph (but not much) this evening, we decided to find the final of this cache now. We (daughter and I on her "weekend", GAR still at home) didn't take the easiest route to GZ but we got there and found the hide (always a bit of concern when no checksum or anything to check your answers against)! Thanks for the fun Adventure Lab, which definitely took us to a couple of spots we might never otherwise have had brought to our attention) and this bonus hide rustynz! Not your normal neck of the woods I would have thought.

I have eventually visited all waypoints and conquered the maths, and loved the location of the final!! TFTC!!

Very nice cache, highly recommended

We had intended to go to Spa Thermal Park today so the Ad Lab came to our attention. Out last location was in the gardens and we were surprised to see the caches we found there on a previous visit had gone. Sorted out the final coordinates before heading out to get dinner and then had to sit out a short downpour before walking to GZ. A quick find and sign then back to the car to drive to 'just another cache' before getting petrol and food.
Thanks.

We were spending a few days in Taupo with family so weren't able to do a lot of geocaching but were keen to find a few on our travels, particularly on the 20th August because it was not only International Geocaching Day but also the day of the Geocaching world record attempt.
This cache was originally planned to be the one we would find on the 20th but we ended up looking for it today instead.
We visited the first three stages of the Adventure Lab by car and enjoyed each location then headed over to Spa Park to complete that stage and walked to the last stage at Huka falls.
It was a very enjoyable walk and we ended up picking up another cache along the way as well as an Earthcache when we reached the falls.
Once we had walked back to the car at Spa Park time was a bit short but we were still keen to find this bonus cache so worked out the final coordinates and headed off.
We got within 30 metres of GZ but because of a bad decision as to how to get there the last 40 metres weren't particularly straightforward and an unfortunate turn in the weather from sun to heavy rain made us decide to come back today.
We looked at the map and worked out a much more sensible way to get to the cache and headed out this morning to make the find.
What a lovely location, we almost had the place to ourselves and after enjoying the scenery made a nice quick find.
Thanks rustynz and rebel98 for setting up this great Adventure Lab and Bonus cache. We both love Taupo and have many happy childhood memories of numerous visits here so are very keen to take on any opportunity to explore.

And that’s the bonus!! Woohoo what a beautiful area for the final! TFTC

#11,406. I am making my way north to Auckland again and driving up so I can pick off scattered caches along SH1. The ones on the Desert Road will need to wait as it was snowing heavily as I drove through. Would not be surprised if they close the road tonight. I had done the Taupo Adlab in stages on previous trips north and south. Today was the time to come and get the final. What an interesting area for the final. Very scenic views late in the day with sunlight reflecting off the cliffs. The cache itself was an easy find. Signed and replaced as found. Thanks rustynz for choosing to hide your adlab in this central North Island location.

I just loved all the places the ad lab took us to. The final was also a new interesting spot to visit.

School Holidays so time for a tiki tour and some caching. Heading down to an event in Sanson, Winter Warmer IX. We completed the Adventure lab last summer but did not have time for the bonus. Today we parked up at GZ. Enjoyed the scenery before finding and signing the log. Thanks for a cache. We also Love Taupo and always enjoy a visit here. Thanks for the smiley.

That was a fun trip around Taupo. I even visited some new sites and I liked the final location as it brought back a great memory from a foolish trip when I was younger. TFTC.

After getting all but one waypoint yesterday, I headed over to the last one to complete the solution, and made a point to collect the final before heading back North today. A fun lab series, and a great place to visit for the bonus, TFTC

We are down in Taupo for the long Anzac weekend. We visited the various waypoints over 2 days - most of which we had previously visited. However the botanical gardens was a new place for us to explore. We will have to revisit the botanical gardens in the Springtime.
Today while out for a bike ride we stopped to collect this bonus. Cache was quickly located and we were back on our bikes again. Thanks for the ad lab and bonus

Staying in the area for the Easter holiday. We enjoyed our visits to each of the waypoints and then made our way to the final. No problem with the find TFTC.

Really enjoyed this AL. Had only been to one location in the past - Huka Falls. Loved the Spa Thermal Park the most. That surprise cafe has a great spot. Loved the final too as i had never been there before either. Thanks for showing me new bits of Taupo. Defo favourite. TFTC

We did the Ad Lab a couple of months ago before heading sounth, but we didn't have time to go all the way here for the bonus. Today we are on the homeward journey and made the effort to find this. Wow, what a stunning location and a worthy spot for the final. We have seen some stunning scenery in the South Island but visiting this place makes me realize we have equally beautiful scenery. Thanks for the bonus rustynz

What wonderful spot..
Purpose built for a bonus cache enjoyed the adlab ..this was obviously a dual effort. A Rebel and a Rusty..thanks to both C.Os. (however that works)
Took some time to a take in the ambience of the area..so cool ......easy fav here
Many thanks

success!!!! Mr P and I had a pleasant visit around Taupp gathering thr necessary numbers. Went for a kayak and finished the day with this find. t4tc

Took a mini weekend trip with the family to enjoy the water park in Taupo. Sure was a blast but I needed to do some caching.

Thanks for the bonus cache after the AL. Didn't know this place existed along with the bungy-ing! Fave point for this. TFTC

I've been through these gates before, back when I was a child. It looks very different now of course.
Deserves a Fav to complete the Adventure Lab.

Didn't have time for the bonus as making my way to Mega at the time so on my way home eventually popped along to pick it up. All quiet today.

This adventure lab had all the reasons we love geocaching. Being outdoors and discovering new places. Cache was an easy find although we wasted a lot of time snuggling with the adorable cache guardian

A good lab cache - I enjoyed visiting all the places in and around Taupo. Favourite given for making it non-sequential and for having a bonus. TFTC rustynz.

Had co-ords but it wasn’t clear what we were looking for

Today I was heading back to Auckland after being in Turangi meeting up with FMZ and his parents. Stayed the night too, the goal is to bring back all the supporter packs they have been extremely busy sorting out for our MEGA in a few days on Saturday.

So I had arranged to meet FMZ in Hamilton later this evening, after he met up with his partner for afternoon tea. He was busy there I was busy here in Taupo, so we meet up around 5:30 pm to head back to Auckland.

So I got busy with sorting this ad lab, thankfully the WP’s were able to be done randomly, love that when that happens! So since I was coming from Turangi, I did them in S-N fashion. Love the gardens, been there a few times for caches now (both now archived). When I got to the planes on the lake, there was a woman sunbathing right on the jetty, she was asleep and I woke her up with the creaking timbers I was walking on, that was a bit tricky. All the other WP's good, the spa one I wished I had my e-scooter or bike! So far to walk.

Then I didn't look carefully at where the bonus final lay. I thought I could approach it from up top, soon realised there was a much easier way so returned to the car, eventually I got there.

Thanks rusty for the ad labs, great fun. Now time to head home, sort off.

**14,371**
We enjoyed this Adventure Lab and always wonderful to have a bonus cache at the end of it. A nice quick find here. Thanks for setting this up!

A nice quick find thanks. After gathering the required info in the Adlab, we drove to the carpark near GZ. What an interesting looking place! FAv point for the new parts of town visited

Ms_KR and I are off on a wee tour of the North Island. It was a great weather today, the best so far. Mts Ruapehu and Ngaruhoe looked great from around the lake. We were travelling from Turangi to Rotorua

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

Five days doing the family thing with the grandkids and not one cache found until the day I leave. However we did do the AdLab together as a family which the kids thoroughly enjoyed. Mr 4 yr old insisted that he took turns with his 8 yr old sister in following the compass and typing in the answer. I drew the line on letting him type in the six words at the float plane jetty. We might still be there. A quick find this morning in an area I don’t think I’ve visited before. A lovely part of the river.
TFTC

Love Taupo loved the AL now putting it all together got the bonus thanks rusty nz gets a fave

Completed the AL last time we were in Taupo but it was too late to grab the bonus. Came over today to do the Craters of the Moon earthcache (my nearest now) and decided to grab this. What a spectacular location! Again - no idea it existed. TFTC.

A very scenic area - worthy of the bonus for the adventure lab cache. I’m not from taupo so didn’t know this spot was here - thanks for introducing me to this reserve. TFTC - a favourite from me

Found on our last evening in the area - peaceful and quiet, with great views across the lake. TFTC

A enjoyable drive around town collecting the necessary information, very peaceful and pleasant spot for the final cache here.

Fun adventure lab. Forgot to log this bonus cache! TFTC!!!

Down this way on hoilday Great Adventure Lab enjoyed the drive around Taupo thanks

Down this way on hoilday nice easy find what a beautiful spot

Been in Taupō for a few days with the whānau and had picked up a few of the ad-lab stages with things we were already planning to do, so when the tamariki were having a bit of down time this afternoon, I popped out to get the last two parts of the puzzle. I’m glad that you brought me to the Botanic Gardens in particular, as I enjoyed my drive around there and would not have known about it otherwise. The spa had been a highlight yesterday and Huka Falls was spectacular as usual today. I’ve added a few of our whānau photos! The bonus final was on the way back to where we’re staying conveniently so it was an easy pop in and down to collect and funny to see that it had already been visited today. Wish I’d bumped into you Sianald2! Thanks for setting this all up. We’ve really enjoyed our stay in Taupō and this has been the icing on the cake. In fact, I’ll give it a fav point! Thanks for the botanical bonus cache!

My first Adventure Lab cache. I loved it. Lots of fun going to the different places and learning a bit more about Taupō. I did all the parts on Tuesday after give ng blood but it was getting dark so left this final find for the weekend. TFTC I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for the adventure lab, we enjoyed our trip around Taupo finding the answers while also finding other caches nearby. We are surprised by how few caches there are in Taupo and the final location was a pleasant surprise as it is an area worthy of a cache.

we had no problems finding the lab caches.
just had to try and avoid the rain the best we could.
found at end of day as the weather cleared.
tftc

With (Mr) Davidson clan and Gap (of Fap and Gap) following closely behind. What does one do when the weather has packed up? Stay home or go caching… Stay home or go caching? Since when has a few drops of rain stopped us before? That’s why raincoats and umbrellas were invented.

The associated Ad Lab needed some commitment as its locations were well spread across town. Fortunately, the waypoints weren’t locked in order, so we were able to wrap them around other caches to visit. By the time we wandered down to find this bonus, it was dark and chilly. The rain had lifted enough for us to make a quick, dry find. Thanks rustynz. TFTP and TFTC.

Squirrel Nutcase messaged to see if I wanted to go caching what a brilliant idea in this torrential rain I wasn’t doing anything else so wet weather gear on we headed south to Taupo for the afternoon managed to find all the caches we looked for but I was wet and cold by 8pm when we arrived home. I really enjoy these Saturday afternoon road trips I wonder where we will go next Saturday. Thanks to the CO’s for the hides.
Enjoyed this Lab cache even in the cold wet rain we had a fantastic afternoon in Taupo this was our last cache for the day had to park up on the road as carpark was closed but the rain had stopped so that was good. Tftc

I did AL over two days. Finally got to GZ thus morning. I think I may have done it the hard way. Eventually puffed my way back to the top. Thanks

We travelled from Hamilton to Taupo today, especially to visit a showhome before it closed to the public - only to find it was already shut, despite what it said on the website. No matter, we had the Taupo Ad Labs to do, plus this Bonus cache. After quite a few family holidays spent in Taupo over the years we were familiar with all the locations, but it was nice to make a return visit today. The Botanic Gardens has always been a favourite of ours, especially when the rhododendrons are in flower - and the views are great from up there. Once we had all the numbers for the coords of the final we made our way there. Another familiar spot from long ago, but don't think we have gone right to GZ before. All quiet here today, and we made a quick find of the cache, thanks. Adding a Favourite point for the trip down memory lane.

I spent the weekend in Taupo - most of it up at Spa Park, so I did the Spa Park AL site then. The remaining sites I did this morning before the drive back home. It was great to visit some new places here, such as the gardens and the redoubt. I just wish I had a bit more time to spend there and enjoy them! This bonus was a nice quick find, very close to a place I'd visited last time I was here with the family, last July - a very wet and cold day.

Second to find! Thanks for the Adventure Lab and bonus cache.

Found. Will log later

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