Chrystalls Bend Railway Track (Otaki) Ōtaki, North Island, New Zealand
By tmann421 on 10-Jan-23. Waypoint GCA3RYX

Another nicely camouflaged spot! Gorgeous day for a spot of caching- many thanks for putting this trail together

Thanks tmann421 for this series of caches...3 of us enjoyed the peaceful walk up the Otaki River and looping back via the Racecourse and expressway.I had found some of these on a bike ride a few years back, and it was good to return and see how well the various plantings are growing TNLNSL TFTC

Nice easy find tftc

Today was a fun day. First it was up to Palmerston North for the event up there. After that we legged it south to get to the event in Waikanae as we were a little late leaving Palmy. After the event all these new caches were posted so off we all went to find them. TFTC

After the International Geocaching event we all left en mass to go find a bunch of new caches published. The core group was Bruzie, Infoferret, Crystal Fairy, Itchyfeet2020 and Barefoot Guru (Signed at BICIB). There were two more caches in this segment that some of us hadn't found, so did the extra few hundred metres to grab them both. Log signed and replaced and on to the next cache. Thanks for the cache.

17 August 2024 16:35 TFTC tmann421 for placing this cache, number 14663 for me. Time to turn around now.... Finally one I spotted!

It's the third Saturday in August, so of course that means it is International Geocaching Day (that also covers the weekend) and so I'm picking up a few caches as well as attending a local IGD event to get me closer to completing the Cosmic Challenge.After picking up the new ones we called on to get the older onesAll good here, and thank you to tmann421 for the placement of your Traditional Cache.Find #7030 at 17 August 2024 4:35pm

This is a new one since I cleared the trail on a hot day a couple of years ago, so we carried on from the FTFs to clear the area. Overcast today. Quick group find, thanks TFTC tmann421

**taybee** is caching again with **taybee nz** for the dayQuick find here today Joint [FTF] w/ others from the event. All in good order, sign log book as **taybee (** *joint sign* **TB's** or **taybee / nz )** TFTC Cache was found at **17/08/2024 @ 16:40:19**

Lovely walk in the rain today This one was a great surprise.

Nice find, thanks!

All good

#15,077. Enjoyed the short hike in taki. Fortunately the GZ was all quiet at the time of our visit. Found after a bit of searching around. The cache was in good condition, all nice and dry inside. Took nothing, left nothing, signed log.*Thanks for the geocache placement, and for bringing us to this 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.*---### LET US HAVE A BLOCK PARTY!!! ###On **May 3rd, 2025**, we will be celebrating 25 years of geocaching in **Rotorua, New Zealand** with a special **Block Party** event. Join us to celebrate 25 years of this amazing game, and that the very first geocache hidden outside of the United States, 25 years ago, was hidden here in New Zealand.You do not want to miss this event, so check out the ["25 Years of Geocaching NZ! (GCAKR25)" event page]( https://coord.info/GCAKR25) and [event website](http://25years.geocache.nz) for more details, join the [facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/924894455969387) group, and sign up to the [email list](http://25years.geocache.nz?p=4) to get updates...If you intend to come, please make sure you get your ["Will Attend" log]( https://www.geocaching.com/live/geocache/GCAKR25/log) onto the page as soon as you can in order to assist with planning the first ever Block Party in New Zealand.**Happy caching and we will see you in 2025!**---

After exploring mostly Waikanae since we moved in the area, we decided it's now time to smilify more of the wider area. Today we tackled Chrystalls Bend and Ashford Park walkways which nearly! formed a circular walk. We found out about the "nearly" bit once we were on the height of the bridge crossing the Otaki river. Let's just say good that nobody was in the quarry today to work so if you plan to walk this way best to go via Rahui Road not the Peka Peka to Otaki path...All in all a very pleasant walk with part gravel part grass all well maintained. Definitely could have taken the little ones bike along. Other than at the lagoon the paths were far enough from the water to make it a safe and enjoyable walk in nature for the whole family.Arrived at GZ, looked at obvious spots with no luck then resorted to the hint which made no sense looked around, some nearby track closed, feared there was a sign now gone with the cache then looked again , some quick bending and suddenly all made sense! TFTC

Not sure why it took me so long to find this one

#2661. After two DNFs back in November, and then reading the recent logs, it was time to return with potatoboi_68 for another search. Having dropped wwoofer Blaze off in Otaki to catch a bus, we followed a truck spraying water along the metal road to reduce the dust. You can drive to within about 40m of GZ, which we did. Easy find this time just where I expected it to be. Not sure why it eluded YetiNZ and me on our last visits, but obviously it must have been dislodged from where it was supposed to be. But now both of us have turned those blue frownies into .Tftc tmann421.

Having spent the beginning of the weekend in Wanganui, it was time to make my way back home to Wellington. I chose to go the long way, via a few caches that I wanted to get, and a few that I had previously missed, and a few that were just there. Having failed to find the cache here a few weeks ago, and then seeing the CO come out here and did find the cache, I made a point of coming back here today to find this one. But knowing a cache is there, and finding a cache, are two different things. Clearly the cache is not in the obvious spot, which is out in the open. Then there is another possible spot nearby that is visible, but no cache there either. So then I investigated every bush possibility, and there are a few due to the number of paths that converge here, and as is the way it was on the last bush section that I finally spotted what I was after. Cache was found safe and well exactly where it has always been.---Thanks to tmann421 for placing and maintaining this cache. I enjoy each and every cache I find, and it is only with Geocachers like this creating them and placing them out in the world that this wonderful game continues.[DGSc-Bulk] tagging to help me generate a list for GC30AD8 - DGSc Challenge.

Thanks tmann421. Thats weird, both YetiNZ & I couldnt find it. Third time lucky for me hopefully, when I return next week.

Managed to walk this far after the event in Levin. Brought a replacement container but didn't need it as I found the old original container less than a metre from where it should be.I did replace the logsheet even though the old sheet was still in very tidy condition. It was about 70% full.Area changed considerably since cache put out - this was completely in the open, now a bit of bush bending required to get to the container.

Nothing found here

Cache almost certainly missing

After the DNF 6 days ago, I returned today with new cacher potatoboi_68. This time, time was not of the essence and in case I had had cache blindness last time, I spent much more time than normally I would searching around GZ. No joy. Will log a needs maintenance as well.

This one eluded me but had no time for a decent search. I will return.

**19,076**Managed another nice quick find here on this one, although nicely camo'd. Almost back to the van now and I think the dog knows it. TFTC

Enjoying the river walk. Cache all good. Tftc

I decided to see if I could grab this cache find today as it was looking a bit lonely on my map. I had found plenty of caches previously on this walkway so I guess this one is located in a gap created by the archiving of another. The find was a quick one for me today. The colour match is very good.

10.50am. These longer walks are getting a bit harder for the old legs, but I will keep going as long as I can!
Thank you. David.

This cache took me a minute nicely camoflagued! TFTC

Lovely views and I’m glad I decided to do this mini series. TFTC.

Geowoof getting a bit yappy with me not throwing rocks in the river and actually signing logs. Now she's rolling in horse . Guess we going for a bath on the way home. All good with the cache. Great condition and nice and dry. TFTC

I decided this looked like a lovely area for a walk this morning. I'd already done some of the caches here but there were still 8 newer one's to get to get started on the 21 caches this week souvenir challenge.
No problems making the find here.
Thanks for putting it here

A few choices but luckily struck it on first try. Tftc!

Clever hide and great incentive for the kids to walk!

Fun quick find thanks! Nice night for it!

About time for me to find the last cache on the Chrystalls bend walkway. Always a lovely area to go for a stroll. Thanks for placing the cache

First find on a walk around this walkway then round to the connecting one to Ashford Park. This was the only find on Chrystall's Bend as I had previously done the nearby ones.
A quick easy find here
TFTC.

Easter weekend, and a chance to chill and unwind from the pressures of my work for the last few weeks. I still have things I need to get done, but figured that a nice walk for an hour or two this afternoon was just what I needed.

It's been 5 years since I last walked along the river here. That's kinda scary to think how easily the time has flown by. There were no other people to be seen as I made my way sedately to this cache. I was able to mentally note how much bigger all the older plantings have got since my last visit, and of course there has been plenty of new sections planted since then too.

The super accurate co-ords took me straight to the cache. It seems odd that there was no plastic baggie for this log, as unlike the previous find I think this one will get wet at some stage. But I know that the paper is waterproof, so should be ok.

Thank you for bringing me back here again

I love the diversity of the caches hidden along this walkway. This was the end for us. Wisely, HS suggested we retrace our steps, but my map indicated a shortcut. So, perhaps unwisely, we pioneered on what turned out to be quarry roads shut off to the public! The road led to a fence. Oh. I climbed over, HS climbed through. And shortly found ourselves on the correct public path. HS made the observation that the exercise had taken half an hour - equaling what it would have taken had we walked back on the right path.
Getting back to the car, oh no, HS discovered, somewhere , her cardy had fallen. Please keep an eye out for a navy blue cardy...it may be beside a fence that you shouldn't be at...

Initially i thought that perhaps there had been a rail track for logging purposes but this was quickly dispelled once i read the cache description etc but i understand now how the cache got its name . an easy find .
We organised a day caching around this area a while ago and yesterday was the set date and the weather proved accommodating and despite a hint of rain on our journey down we did the Crystal Lagoon walk in sunshine mainly . The area around the lagoon is rather attractive and very restful . i took several photos which i will log to the appropriate cache area with any luck. We tried a short cut back which did not really prove very good but we found our way back to the track by climbing over or through a fence . We took nothing from any of these caches and left nothing . thank you for this interesting walk along the Otaki river etc .

(# 7617) Up to Levin this weekend for the famous TwigNZ Cannonball Run v2023. Continued past the end of the Ashford Park walkway. As I walked along the riverbank I noticed the river was very high and raging after the raining that had fallen in the catchment area. No problem with it spilling over the banks though. A quick find. Thanks for bringing me here.

Good to get out for a walk on a day where the weather couldn't make up its mind about what it was going to do. A lot of noise coming from the quarry at the start of the walk and some commentary coming from the racecourse on the way back (after visiting the lagoon). A nice quick find. TFTC

choo choo

So love biking through all these plantings! Not many muggles out today!

These stops certainly save you from bikers butt

With cache owner when this was put out.
Logging now

Called here on a day trip up the Coast to find a few caches. A pleasant walk along the river, first time I have been here since construction of the new expressway started and that was a few years ago! A quick find in the first place checked thanks to accurate coordinates. Signed log, TFTC!

Well after lots of rain, but not as much as Auckland and the North, we decided to go and do some caching. The day turned into a scorcher after the rain and the walk to GZ was hot and sticky. Lots of people young and old in the river, looked very inviting in the heat. TFTC tmann421

Talla64 and I first came along this path in August 2017 looking for caches placed by this CO. On that day we enjoyed the walk and the plantings very much so brought TipsyTui in January 2018. My recollections of that day was the extreme heat and her log comments about struggling in the heat. Talla and I are back to find the most recent placements by this CO, and the day turned out to be very hot and sticky. There were plenty of people swimming or just sitting in the river. It looked so inviting and the water looked very clear and clean. An enjoyable walk to GZ and good to see the plantings doing so well. The cache was a quick find with spot-on co-ords. Thanks very much for bringing us back here tmann421.

The third cache on our Chrystalls Bend walk, and no trouble for us! TFTC

Out and about with TrinityNZ, NZ_B, the seagnoid. A new area for me, so a nice stroll with the troops. TFTC.

Out on a bit of a mission with Poppy the Geo-Staffy, tylerdrummond and beautiful Geo-Wife to knock off a few caches around Otaki.
A nice riverbank stroll along from "Chrystalls Bend Walkway Start" and once we arrived at GZ we were pleased to find there were no trains operating on the railway tracks today. Another nice quick find by Tyler (it must be those fresh young eyes). All in good order.
TNLNSL TFTC

A nice quick find by yours truly, while on a hunt for new caches with NZ_B, TrinityNZ and JustLooking00. We drove to within 20m of GZ. Nice of the quarry? to leave the gates open.

The third Chrystalls Bend cache today for JustLookingOO, NZ_B and TheSeagnoid today, after a short walk. I'm looking forward to completing this series one day. Thanks tmann421 for the cache

Two possible hiding places were spotted and I went and searched the left hand one while seagnoid searched the the right hand has one. He found the cache.

Out with seagnoid, TrinityNZ and JustLookingOO finding caches today for the DGSc challenge in the West Coast. Kia ora rawa atu for the cache tmann421.

It's been a while since I last visited this great walkway, and it's noticeable how the extensive planting is growing up now.
The cache was a quick find in the first place I checked, and all is well with it.
Thanks very much for the cache.

I just did a 1 km walk from my car to another tmann421 cache and here I am walking the same distance from a different parking spot! There are worse things to be doing than walking alongside the Otaki River on a beautiful summer day. Checking out the engineering underneath the new expressway bridge was interesting which all looks very earthquake resistant. The "Arboretum" near the cache was an interesting diversion just before arriving. I was standing in a clearing wondering where a cache was going to be hidden so I checked the hint. Then I spotted the thing that made sense of that and the cache was duly found. I'm sure I could have found that without the hint with a bit of effort! Thanks for bringing me back to this track which I hadn't been on in a while.

Returning home from a caching trip to Ohau and Waikawa Beach, stopped to find the new caches on the Chrystalls Bend walkway. This one an easy find once dog-walkers had passed. Amused to see that, only days after being set, a significant spider web is already in place. Tftc!

An easy stroll up the river this afternoon to find this new cache. Wasn't expecting to be just 2TF!

Published

Gotcha. Happy Days FTF. I'd only intended to go as far as Waikanae this morning. But the lure of trying out the new Expressway was too much of a temptation. It was noticeably quicker than the old road. A pleasant walk along a trail I haven't been on for a while. The cache was a nice quick find. Thanks for placing it. Cheers and TFTC