Flagstaff Hill (Dunedin, Otago) North Taieri, South Island, New Zealand
By Donovan on 11-Nov-00. Waypoint GCB0

Found this one with TTO1 and TTO2 today. TTO1 and I are touring New Zealand with TTO2 for a couple of weeks and our travels brought us by this cache. So, we just had to stop and find it. Well, of course we had to stop for this oldie - It was one of the reasons that we are visiting this area. I enjoyed the hike up the trail to the top and then we manage to wade through things without getting into too much trouble as we found our way to the cache. Favorite Point from me.Were really enjoying our visit and have been exploring lots of cool spots. Im sure that we will still have a lot that we didnt get to see on this trip, so I look forward to coming back again some time to see some more of this beautiful country. Thanks for the fun!

This is our 94th Year 2000 cache. What an amazing hike and bush bash. New Zealand facts that we learned while geocaching:- If, after you take an international flight to New Zealand, you find no security lines to wait in for a domestic flight, they just let you walk on your plane at boarding time. - New Zealand is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.- It consists of two main landmasses, the North Island and the South Island, and around 600 smaller islands.- The country's total land area is about 268,021 square kilometers (103,483 square miles).- It is known for its diverse landscapes, including beaches, mountains, forests, and lakes.- The capital city of New Zealand is Wellington, located at the southern tip of the North Island.- Other major cities include Auckland (the largest city), Christchurch, and Hamilton.- New Zealand has a population of approximately 5 million people.- Most of the population is of European descent (Pkeh), with significant Mori, Pacific Islander, and Asian communities.- The three official languages of New Zealand are English, Mori, and New Zealand Sign Language.- Mori is the language of the indigenous people of New Zealand.- New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy.- The head of state is the monarch of the United Kingdom, represented by the Governor-General in New Zealand.- The head of government is the Prime Minister.- The Mori people are the indigenous Polynesian inhabitants of New Zealand.- Mori culture is a significant part of New Zealand's national identity, including traditional arts, crafts, and the haka (a ceremonial dance).- Mori first settled New Zealand around the 13th century.- Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to sight New Zealand in 1642.- British explorer Captain James Cook made the first recorded European contact with Mori in 1769.- New Zealand became a British colony in 1840 following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and Mori chiefs.- New Zealand has unique flora and fauna, including many species found nowhere else.- The country is famous for its flightless birds, such as the kiwi, which is also a national symbol.- New Zealand's native forests are home to ancient trees like the kauri and rimu.- New Zealand has a mixed economy, with significant sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, and services.- It is one of the world's largest exporters of dairy products, meat, and wool.- Tourism is also a major industry, attracting visitors with its natural beauty and adventure activities.- The climate in New Zealand is temperate, with regional variations.- The North Island generally has a warmer climate, while the South Island can be cooler, especially in mountainous areas.- Notable tourist attractions include Fiordland National Park, Tongariro National Park, and the Waitomo Caves.- The country is known for its adventure sports, including bungee jumping, skydiving, and skiing.- New Zealand has a well-regarded education system, with compulsory education for children aged 6 to 16.- The country has eight universities, several ranking highly in international assessments.- Rugby is the most popular sport in New Zealand, with the national team, the All Blacks, being famous worldwide.- Other popular sports include cricket, netball, and soccer.- Notable New Zealanders include Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to summit Mount Everest; author Katherine Mansfield; filmmaker Peter Jackson; and singer Lorde.- New Zealand has a vibrant arts scene, with strong literature, music, and visual arts traditions.The country is also known for its contributions to the film industry, particularly through the work of director Peter Jackson and the production of the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" film trilogies.- New Zealand is committed to environmental conservation, with many protected areas and national parks.- The country has strong policies on renewable energy and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050.- New Zealand cuisine is influenced by its British heritage and Mori culture.- Popular dishes include lamb, seafood, and the traditional Mori hangi, a meal cooked in an earth oven.- New Zealand has a well-developed transport network, including road, rail, air, and sea routes.- The country has numerous domestic and international airports, with Auckland Airport being the busiest.- New Zealand operates on New Zealand Standard Time (NZST), 12 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+12).- During daylight saving time, the country switches to New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT), 13 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+13).- In addition to the kiwi, New Zealand is home to unique wildlife such as the tuatara, a reptile native only to New Zealand, and various species of penguins and dolphins.- New Zealand hosts numerous festivals and events throughout the year, celebrating everything from music and arts to food and sports.

Decided to make the treck to the top of this hill with Kubabelle. We came underprepared by not reading the cache descriptions of the terrain or the time it would take. This is typical behaviour of ours ??????? Unfortunately this meant our caching trip was cut short once we reached the bottom of Flagstaff hill as someone fell and broke their foot ?? The good news however, is that we managed to get all of the caches that we came for up here ??This was our last cache for today before a trip to ED. Getting to this one was definitely a high terrain rating, I also managed to walk through far too much gorse. When I eventually did spot the cache, it was a how did I miss this?! moment. We signed the log and replaced as found. I have taken the TB to continue its travels. Photo attached of the post cache fun ??Thanks for the cache ?

A great walk with wonderful views until it wasnt. I was headed back to the car after retrieving the well hidden cash with Nelzarama and fell over, breaking my foot. We soon after this visited another spot in Dunedin being the Dunedin Hospital ?? A great spot for a cache, please dont rush down the hill like I did! FYI Dunedin hospital has great service ??

Here in the land of the king white cloud to attend the mega in Dunedin. Many thanks to all those involved in the organisation! Today we targeted some oldies and virtuals . Much better weather and lots of fun. Travelling and caching as a group Qld+1. A big hike included! Cheers very pleased to get this special oldie

Day three - Geo Toroa DunedinFinally the sun has decided to show its faceWith Queensland buddies, Snickersallan, chamad and Wollaston, BenM70, gcovernSigned log as QLD+1Thanks for creating and placing for our enjoyment

*** draft log for stats tracking, more later ***GCB0 Flagstaff Hill (Dunedin, Otago)Traditional Large28 Oct 2024T13:50:22 NZDTTFTC NemesisHeading south with Heihei, along with most of New Zealands cachers, for the Dunedin Mega.After the penguins and a rushed lunch I went for the Flagstaff Hill oldie, though didnt have time for the other 2 there I had on the list.How hard can it be to find a bucket?! 10 mins later, it was obvious when looking at the right angle, 8 m from GZ for me.

This is a date I needed to fill my jasmer grid, so I wasn't leaving Dunedin until I had found it.We parked the campervan down the bottom and chugged our way to GZ.Once in the general area, it took a bit of circling around before the prize was spotted.There are lots of people enjoying the area today, judging by all of the cars in the carpark. I wonder how many of them are geocachers? We met someone we knew heading up as we were heading down.Thanks for putting this here all those years agoI left an alphabet stone - the letter F

How hard can it be to spot a white bucket in this bush with 3 people looking? Quite hard it seems. ?? Well it took the 3 of us more than 10 minutes. Then we were joined by another cacher and then 2 more just when kolour said the magic words. ?? Yet it was so obvious to see when looking from the right direction. There was quite the crowd by now at gz, all keen to sign this old caches logbook. Nice walk. Beautiful views along the way. Enjoyed this walk lots. Thank you. ??

Day 4 in New Zealand A few virtuals, favourited and some along the ways. Always great to get a 4 digit golden oldie Have attended the mega site now picking up D/Ts. Made it to this one and made the find with the QLD+1 crew of Paul, Glenda, Allan, Amanda, Mick, Gloria and myself. Another city/state/country and another random 2 Wagtails catch up!!! My first overseas trip ever started off eventful with my tree fishing pole joining me in Brisbane after deciding not to travel on my flight. Virgin staff made up for their boo boo, so my adventure could continue stress free but making for a long day Day 1 involved my first FTF in another country, another webcam under my belt, a few virtuals and a couple of favourites. Day 2 involved the drive down to Dunedin, some caches of interest and the nastiest CiTO Ive ever done. Day 3 was D/T series, some planes and others along the way. Thanks Nemesis for placing this Traditional for me to convert into a smilie

Flagstaff Hill (Dunedin, Otago)Dunedin MEGA Monday and day 3 of some great caching with QLD caching buddies! More great caches to be found while exploring the beautiful Dunedin. Signing our logs QLD + 1 to save room, we were pleased to see most of the caches had been recently maintained and enjoyed a great variety of hides and types.An fp for this great oldie!A massive thank you to all of the COs for the preparation, placement and maintenance of these caches. TFTC Donovan# 10686CheersWillis007

Out and about with Willis007 and other members of the group QLD+1 finding solved puzzles and multis plus other targeted caches. We decided to walk up to this oldie, picking up a few traditionals on the way. It took a little while to find as we couldnt see anything where the hint suggested but then I turned around and saw the large container a couple of metres from the flax - amazing that we had missed it! Logbook signed and replaced as found. Tftc

Out and about caching while visiting Dunedin for the Mega Event. Arrived at GZ and it took some searching time before the cache was found. TFTC. Giving a FP for being an old cache.

CaptainVimes and I have crossed the pond to attend the Geo Toroa mega in Dunedin and tour around the South Island for two weeks.My 10th 2000 cache find. I probably shouldn't have attempted in this weather but when you're travelling you've got to take your opportunities when presented.Thanks Nemesis and happy caching

Accio 13:38:21My first visit to South Island. Over the ditch for the Dunedin Mega, and arrived about midnight in Christchurch, and after a very short sleep a quick 5 hours drive south and here I am - ready to rumble. And first stop this oldie. Legs took a moment to get moving properly, but I motored OK and up the road track. Met a few other geocacher's trundling down, and then I turned right.Very very uneven ground, gorse bushes, grass tussocks the height of me, and rabbit holes, rocks and other unknown wonders to not quite step onto. So went a bit slower here. But I still made it to GZ area in short shrift and spent a few moments circling it until the prize was revealed. I managed to get here all alone, despite the myriad of cachers all over this mountainside. I have an agenda, and am only chasing this one around here - so pretty chuffed to grab it before any rain occurred. I did spend a couple of moments soaking up the crisp air and stunning views.I went back down via the track, and so nabbed a couple others along the way, but round trip car-to-car was 45 minutes. zooming.Thanks Donovan for entertaining me at this location. *{Overall find #12768}*

This cache was our main target on the Hill.Fangsoki and I had made a direct approach from "Where the Bullocks Pass" and we saw another cacher heading on a route from the top of the hill.We met up near the cache location and it was Fangsoki who uncovered the cache.We signed the log and took the obligatory photograph.Finding this cache takes me closer to completing my 3rd Jasmer round.Thanks to everyone involved in keeping this cache alive.

Found with the Debees and Crew 153

More bushbashing to get to the top of the mountain. Ran into some strange people from Northern Scotland here. The people you meet geocaching!!!! Log signed Aussies on Walkabout. Found with McLookers, feathertop , Sol de lune, LuckyL10n, and Phetlern. Thanks for a great oldie. It doesnt help me with my one missing Jasmer space unfortunately but still great to have. Dropped off the HOT Flag.

Arrived in town from Queenstown and met up with the group of McLookers, Phetlern, feathertop, LuckyL10n and Wombatwandering, and we headed off for the 4 old Dunedin caches. This was the next one and after a searching hill climb the cache was found. A bit tough towards the end of the day, but good to get it crossed off before the rain.. Log signed and all was good.Many thanks for the cache Nemesis....great views, so a fav point added .

#21128 - 4:13:26 PM; Day three of the GeoToroa Mega Road Trip with Sol de lune and our better halves. After a couple of nights in Queenstown, today we are headed across to Dunedin for the Mega weekend. On arrival, we met up with some other "Aussies on Walkabout" (McLookers, feathertop, Pheltern and Wombatwandering) to collect the four local caches published in 2000, along with some others we passed along the way, before wrapping up the day at the Meet and Greet Event. Logs were signed/stamped "Aussies on Walkabout" or "AoW" on behalf of our group and then returned as found. This was the second of our year 2000 targets and well worth the effort to get here. Collected a few bonus cacheas along the way too! TFTC Nemesis

Found with Gazania Rigens after yomping up the hill and thrashing through the profuse undergrowth and then circling round and round the various flax bushes and rocks at GZ, before being joined by two cachers from Finland who joined the hunt with equal lack of success Perkele!Suddenly the triumphant shout went up from GR who had stood in just the right position to spot the BIG WHITE BUCKET tucked under a large grass tussock not even a metre from where I had been searching assiduously around the base of a big flax, GZ as per my GPS, but to no avail ??We were soon joined by a horde of Aussies, including a wonderful and most worthy and well-met wandering wombat who was kind enough to surrender the HOT (Heroes On Tour) flag for GR to grab at last. An impressive show of what Duty means, to fly fully half way around the world to carry out such a delicate mission! ??A fine experience to find this venerable cache on such a beautiful day in shared company of other Dunedin Mega attendees!TFTC & FP awarded.

I'm glad we could do this cache on a dry day. I wouldn't want to walk through that vegetation during or after rain. We arrived at GZ at the same time as two cachers from Finland and it took us quite a while to find the large white bucket. I was lucky to stand in the right place and look in the right direction, as it was really quite well tucked away under some tussocks. No flax or gorse, just grass. Trust the coordinates. Thanks for keeping this oldie going. TFTC!

A visit to the area to find an old cache and the rest of the caches on the Ridge.Log signed Aussies on Walkabout. Found with Mclookers Wanderingwombat, Sol de lune, LuckyL10n and Phetlern.Today's target were the 4 oldies. This was the toughest to get but well worth it.Many thanks for placing. A favourite point from me..

TB Drop

We noticed the car park fairly full of cars when we pulled up. Off we went, picking up caches along the way. Our target was this oldie. We stuck to the track until we got level and then bush bashed across. SDL found the cache, we signed the log Aussies on Walkabout. Found with Sol de lune, LuckyL10n, Phetlern, Feathertop and Wombatwandering. Really enjoyed the walk and the views.Thanks for placing the cache Nemesis.

We didn't take the easiest route to get here but found a much quicker and easier way out. This cache completes my NZ jasmer so very pleased to get it today before the rain came in. Co-ords pretty spot on. Found with angelic_kiwi. tftc

Hard work pushing through the undergrowth but we found a route others have obviously used that took us most of the way back to the main track. Took us a little while to locate but then mumandme spotted it. I love finding these old caches, so neat that it has been here and people have been finding it for more than 20 years. Thanks so much for keeping it going so long.

Well, what can I say? This was our third closest 2000 placed cache and after conquering unity park and the botanical gardens we drove to the suggested parking and looked up the hill. We couldnt see the top of the hill but could see the cache was about 1.2km away, so off we went up the trail. It was slightly misting as we set off and above the tree line we got a quick glimpse of the valley and plains but then a cold mist came in and was blocking out any view or any real glimpse of very far into the distances up the hill too. The mist was so cold it was almost frozen and most of the puddles on the track had ice in them. Nevertheless we continued until the track flattened out and we came across the trig marker. About 25m past that we headed bush. And it was absolutely hell bashing through prickly sometimes head-high flax bushes, grass and prickle bush for 200m. Once we reached GZ we were soaked from the waist down- boots, leggings, socks and undies. I also had welts from the prickly bush as it stabbed my wet leggings. We looped in circles for about 15min before I finally spied the bucket in the grass. I found it!!! I yelled to irondale. It is hidden as the hint suggests, but its just that there are a lot of rocks sticking out of the ground and large flax plants. Upon finding it my iPhone gps read 3m from the coordinates which is pretty damn good for any cache. Had a good look through the contents and signed the log but didnt spend too much more time at GZ as we were soaked and getting cold quickly. Bush-bashed navigating back to the virtual to find the path as looking for the cache had us going in circles and the mist made it hard to orient any landmarks. Grabbed the other traditional caches on the path on the way down to the car before driving back to our farm stay and having a hot shower and a hot chocolate.This was on our list of six year 2000 placed caches to target in NZ. TFTCIm giving a favourite point for a challenging cache in this weather, possibly on par with only a couple of others.

Caching with Jennyfromthefarm on a wet miserable day. It was worth the hike. Tftc

Was up the hill so a short detour to check this Golden Oldie. Lots of room in the nice dry logbook for hundreds of keen visitors to sign for GeiToroa Mega this October.

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.Today lovely **P&Vee** picked me up from the town and dropped me off at the main parking. After the big rain yesterday, everything was completely wet. I needed to choose: to climb the mountain to get this cache and have all my clothes completely wet or leave this cache and stay dry and probably will never sign it. It was now or never. As I was already there, it would be the stupidest thing to back off. So I started to run up the mountain. Stopped on the way to grab a few trads, and then when i was some 300m away, I went "off-road". Just pushing throught grass and bushes without stopping and thinking. When I reached the GZ, I was completely soaked. Then it took me a few circles around, when i finally found the big bucket. What a relief.Signed the logbook and then it was just a matter of repeating the same bushwhacking on the way back till I reached the trail. Hiking up and down the hill, finding Oldie and 3 other caches along the way took me only 52 minutes total. After this adventure there were no dry spot on my body. Everything was 100% soaked. This cache will stay in my memory for a long time.Adventure deserves +1 FP from me.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

Out for an early climb up Flagstaff as the geobaby didn't quite grasp the end of daylight savings. Always great to find one of these old, original caches and read through past logs. After a bit of a bush bash to get to GZ we had a good old hunt around to find the bucket with a free ranging GPS, very reminiscent of earlier days of geocaching back when I was much younger. TFTC

A huge thank you to the cache owner for creating and maintaining a wonderful cache. EP79 and I have embarked on a three-month long geocaching trip across the globe, and we are both grateful and thrilled to discover new places and new friends. The first part of our trip is dedicated to Australia and New Zealand. Today planned some oldies. Since we are far away from home, statistics for caches that are hard to get elsewhere took precedence. We combined the hunt with sightseeing locations going to places that are very unfamiliar with landscape so different from the one we know.This one was an obvious must. The hike was not super easy, but we succeeded in the end and were thrilled to sign a 2000 logbook of a cache with a two-letter geocode. Many thanks for an amazing find.Sorry for logging with a delay. The trip was really busy, but at least I get to revisit these caches again and enjoy great memories. Many thanks for the invite to a beautiful place and for a wonderful geocaching adventure. Greetings from Prague, the Czech Republic, Europe.

Thank you for the cache!Another day exploring and geocaching in New Zealand with my bestfriend geocacher Ironford. We are staying in Dunedin for a few days and really enjoying our time here. Yesterday we went to see (actually sailed to see) the albatross colony, and today we have big geo-plans: some amazing oldies in great locations (the variety of landscape is fantastic), lots of driving on the left and finally shopping for dinner and snackies in our favourite New World. It turned out to be a really great day.Greetings from Prague, Czech Republic So THIS is what you call bushwhacking? Not my activity of choice... but it actually got better on the return journey - with a little bit of meandering around the thickest spots, it wasn't totally horrible. The hike to the top of the hill was lovely, it was a fresh morning with lots of sunshine, bird song, lush vegetation, and spectacular views. Ironford was lucky to stumble upon the bucket after a fairly quick search, and I was thrilled to sign a year 2000 cache.

In the final week of what has been a 2.5 month working holiday through South East Asia and Oceania. Some roughly accurate overall trip stats:~ 830 total finds (non-AL)- 424 in Australia- 196 in New Zealand- 131 in Thailand- 40 in Hawaii- 14 in South Korea- 12 in Nevada- 5 in Indonesia- 4 in Malaysia- 2 in Laos- 1 in MyanmarOf the 830 total finds, roughly 110 of them were multis (my favorite cache type).14 year 2000 caches including all of the year 2000 caches in OceaniaOldest caches found in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Indonesia9 virtual only fizzy fillers (5/5, 4/3, 1.5/3.5, 2/4.5, 4/3.5, 2.5/5, 2.5/4, 2/5, 3/4.5)2 earthcache only fizzy fillers (2.5/3.5, 3/3.5)4 California original fizzy fillers (5/2.5, 2/4.5, 3.5/4.5, 4.5/1.5)Many thanks to all the COs who have placed these caches for me to find!I was expecting to struggle in my bushwack to this one based on the previous log. I can only assume that the previous searcher approached from the straight north because approaching from the SW was pretty easy. Just kind of hiking through tall grass. I got to GZ and had to look for a while before eventually spotting. Great views from up here. After I found it, I left to the north. I wandered into a tall plant/thick area and think this might be the area the prior log talked about. I quickly backed out and made my way around the edge of it back to the trail! Sweet. Another year 2000 down. Thanks a lot for the cache.

I write this DNF log with such a heavy heart and hurt. I had spoken to local cachers at my event yesterday and came prepared with plenty of water, a hiking stick and good clothing. I knew this was going to be tough.Followed the advice on the cache page but after about an 40 minutes, I had only managed to make it a third of the way from the footpath to the cache. The shrubland was just so, so tough to fight through.Im a short bloke, these shrubs were about nearly head height in places for me. And with no obvious path to GZ, it was a battle. A battle which got too much for me in the end. The rain started coming down and I started to slip over in places. Once on the floor, you really cant see much around you. It got too much in the end and I made the extremely hard decision to abort the mission.Sometime, you just cant simply find them all and that was the case here. I take my hat off to those who found it before me, it really is hard to get to. And those who will find it after, I wish them the very best of luck.Will I ever be back? Maybe. Its hard as Dunedin isnt exactly on my doorstep from England. And seeing that one blue face on the map will kill me but sometimes there is more to life than Geocaching. When the fun stops, stop. And that was the case with this one. Thanks again to the CO for the experience at least. The views from up here were beautiful. And maybe, just maybe, Ill come back for a second attempt one day. Well see.

Today we planned to vistit the 4 geocaches in this area which are placed in 2000. I like the old ones.This was the first one, a very scenic drive and walk to this geocache, unfortunately a lot of rain, but witch the right clothes we kept dry.Thanks for placing and maintaining this geocache,Greetings from team Camperfietser, Favo added.

This is definitively a cache to remember. Thank you for the adventure.

Out and about on day 8 of my South Island Tour and day 2 of "Wellingtonions Gone South: Dunedin Edition" with NZ_B, TwigNZ, Mr-Mcgoo, Itchyfeet2020 and matagouri. The target of this day was mainly Flagstaff Hill, Mt Cargill and some other caches around the area. All logs signed as MINT. TFTC

(# 8306) The Wellington crew are on another mission. Included are Itchyfeet2020, NZ_B, TwigNZ, Matagouri and TaybeeNZ who are collectively known as Team Mint. As usual quite a bit of hilarity. Day 2 was more local. A nice walk up the "hill" then a very pleasant walk through the tussock to the GZ. Quickly spotted where the cache should be but after a thorough search around the hint item came up empty. However, one of the crew spotted the container a little bit further off. We all whooped with joy at finding this oldie. Great views on a beautiful day. Signed as MINT.Thanks Donovan for bringing me here.

A group of friends have traveled together to Dunedin to collectively target a whole bunch of caches, primarily because of their value in terms of Jasmer Grid filling, or for certain Challenge Caches that we have elected to try to achieve.M.M.I.N.T.T are Mr-Mcgoo, matagouri, Itchyfeet2020, NZ_B, taybee nz and TwigNZ. Some logs were signed this way, some were signed as M.I.N.T for expediency, and some (mainly Challenge Caches) were signed with individual names.As a geocacher, it's all too easy to find yourself getting obsessed with trying to achieve different things... D/T Grid, Jasmer Grid, Dot Days, Challenges etc etc. The last time I was in Dunedin, over 3 years ago, I had wanted to find 1 of the potential 3 caches placed in Nov 2000 for my Jasmer Grid. Back then I found Unity, so didn't make the effort to find either of the other 2. I regretted that when I discovered GC31PYY and have been itching to come back and find those other caches. Today would be the day I would find 1 of those missing old caches, plus find and sign GC31PYY too. It would not be an easy day as a mixed ability party, but we work well together as a team to pull everyone through. I actually enjoyed the walk up to this one, and was the first to arrive at GZ although it wasn't me that made the find. I had gone to exactly the right place, but had been fooled by the Hint into thinking that the cache would actually be at the base of the flax. It's not, but merely nearby. Matagouri eventually made the find after the rest of us had widened the search area. I was just happy to get to finally sign this one.Thank you for placing this cache all those years ago. Dropped off a TB I'd been carrying.

I am enjoying my walk (well, more like plod) to this cache. Slow but steady wins the race. Very, very pleased to find this good, old oldie.Day 2 of The Wellingtonians are in Dunedin tour with TwigNZ, Mr-Mcgoo, Itchyfeet2020 and matagouri, as well as TaybeeNZ who decided to have a few days of his South Island tour with us. We are targeting specific caches -oldies, wherigos (thanks to the Seagnoids new caches on the Wainuiomata Hill road in Lower Hutt), a certain jet and hopefully a certain bird. Of course, there will be days of laughter, no doubt at my expense During our time here, all found caches were signed as MINT, regardless of whether 2, 3 or all 5 of us hadn't found it previously, or with individual names for Challenge Caches according to whomever was claiming the find.Kia ora rawa atu for the cache Nemesis.

Day 2 of our Dunedin Adventure. Six welly cachers have arrived with lots of plans and caches to find. Watch out Dunedin. Well this was a fun find we took two different paths in and made our way to numerous hint items. This is where it is great to have many sets of eyes as you have to be almost on this one to find it. Found by matagouri with a spectacular view to boot. All logs signed as MINT. Thank you for this great oldie. Don't think we took the easiest route out - don't be tempted to go north to quickly!

A visit to Dunedin by Wellington geocachers NZ_B, Itchyfeet2020, TwigNZ, Mr-Mcgoo, Taybee NZ, and myself. Signing as Team MINT, targeting old caches, Wherigos, and whatever else we can find.This was definitely on our list of targets! It took a bit of a search to find, but spotted eventually. Great to tick this cache off. Tftc!

13/9/2023 Find #6506
Day 5 of the Fangsoki/1MinnieMoo NZ adventures. We have a few days in Dunedin and today the priority goal was 4 particular old caches, and a few other old caches sprinkled through between. Of course when doing a walk such as this one, we will also grab any we pass along the way.
This was my main target cache up here, and we followed the suggested direction to get to it, tho I’m not sure any direction is a great choice. I accidentally scared a bunny along the way, which is a shame as they are my friends for what they do to the horse bushes, and sadly only metres from the cache did my best turtle impression, falling backwards into a ditch surrounded by gorse. My fingers now leak red like a sieve. I had to wait for Fangsoki to find me to pull me out as my butt was one side of a tussock and my legs the other but I had gorse everywhere I needed to put my hands. Well that was a new and uncomfortable situation!
Shortly after I managed to find the cache.
Thanks for the cache Nemesis. I will be ejecting gorse prickles from my fingers for the next week or so!
I think I will also add this one as a bonus NZ cache to my list in the Rambler’s Reward for the efforts it took!

Cache 1211 Finding caches for my “wheel of challenges” trip, headed to Dunedin Easter Friday ️‍for some hidden dates caches and if I’m lucky 1 or 2 D/T caches then when I return home on Sunday I plan on attacking the power trail at the back of lake Waihola to finish the challenge of “seeking smileys” x100 for the month. Even though this cache was not a hidden date or hidden month that I needed I could not pass up the opportunity to nab the “OLD” cache, by now my legs are already sore but I continued my trek across the tussocks and rocks from the bullocks trail, getting closer and closer to GZ. I got within 6m and rested my bag on the large boulder and quickly went hunting the large pail. I soon had it in my sites YAY. So pleased to have my name in another golden oldie!!! Cache is in fantastic shape. I retrieved the 2 TBs from the cache so they can carry on their adventures also caches this age in great condition deserve fave points so of course I’m awarding it another one T4TC

Wow what a mission we planned today. Happy to be walking through cloud as we went up. Then the serious mission started, pity it had been raining the grass,flax and gorse meant we got soaked but still worth it to get our first year 2000 laid cache. So very chuffed with ourselves, now where was the path lol. Will just say for those thinking of doing this Mr C is 81, and we made it. See what a incentive GC is for us newbies. Thanks for this cache Donovan. Oops and a fav from us.

Finding some old caches to help fill our Jasmer-grid was one of the tasks during our roadtrip through this beautiful country.
Today was the day and we started our mission on Flagstaff hill. Not only to find this oldie but also to mark it as my 6,000th find.
I won't lie, it was hard to get to the bucket. The hike up the hill was alright, although going uphill is not my favourite activity. The bushwhacking for the last two hundred meters was really tedious! And it also took us a while to locate the cache. However, we made it! The things we do for the statistics... I leave a FP as a thank you for keeping this oldie alive and for the memorable find.
Thanks a lot for the cache!

TB drop

This old cache was quite a challenge. The first part only as the trail goes up. But the last part became more difficult. We somehow managed to find our way to the listed coordinates. There we also had to search for a few minutes, until I heard Sonnenblume2780 screaming: "FOUND IT!" - Thanks for this old cache! Filled one more month of the Jasmer challenge! FP in

The hike up the hill was fine but the bushwhacking was quite difficult. Enjoyed the hike. Thanks for keeping this old one alive.

Year 2000 cache #107

www.RetiredGuy.com

Thanks for the cache and greetings from Czechia, another 2000 and clean box and logbook, hard to get here through bush, but worth a visit. FP+

The Flagstaff Hill was the task of today. Together with TEMBO! I climed up and could find this veteran. The way was rough and long. After all we Made it and are happy now. This old cache earned a favorite point.

Thanks to Donovan for hiding and maintaining the cache.

T4TC Filser1

On my first visit to the South Island I didn't have time to visit this old school cache. Three years later I managed to do so today with *Filser1*.
In beautiful weather we reached the treasure after a very challenging walk. It's always fun to find such a venerable cache.

T4TC, which also gets its well-deserved favourite point from me

Wow that is hard to get to
Thanks for keeping it alive

find number 30142
Thanks Nemesis for maintaining the cache
SL thanks for the hide

spent 6 great weeks in New Zealand with my ?? The start was a bit bumpy (Cyclone Gabrielle) but then it got better and better. We travelled to both islands and discovered a lot. We photographed and filmed many beautiful things, but most of it stayed in our hearts.Almost everywhere we stopped, a cache was already waiting for us. Most of the caches are well maintained and easy to find.With mostly very nice weather, we saw a lot of this impressive island. In many places, caches were waiting for us, which were sometimes easy and sometimes difficult to find. This cache was also included and was successfully signedWe puzzled a lot in advance and the tours ?? were well prepared So this box was also well found.now I have another on my personal cache card.many thanks to [^] **Donovan** [^] for the effort and the cache and greetings from Germany ???? TFTF**Geistercacher*****leave a 💙 here for keeping this old one alive

This is my fourth geocaching excursion to **beautiful New Zealand**!
Due to Covid [xx(] I had to wait for 3 long years to again return to my beloved Middle-Earth [xx(].
This time its a road trip enduring for 26 days, covering both North- and South-Island.
Once arrived in beautiful Dunedin [:X], today was my "Oldie, Challenge and Climbing"-day .
This old geo-treasure contributed to the finds of today. Cool! [^]
It was quite a bit of a challenge to get to the GZ - but the find was rewarding .
Glad I found it!
A big thanks to the owner Donovan [:X] for hiding and long-term maintaining this cache [^] - and best regards from Germany !

Auch bei diesem 2000er ging es ja ein schönes Stück durch die Pampa. Sehr klasse!!! Am Spot ein längeres Päuschen im weichen Gras gemacht. Vielen Dank und herzliche Grüße vom Rumtreiber aus Braunschweig, Deutschland.

Today I found caches I never can find in Austria. 4 old caches from 2000 and all are maintained and OK, even good to find about the great hint. The difficulty was the box at the Flagstaff Hill, not about the find but the way. And the rain started when I was finished.
A great thank and a point for all of them, I am HAPPY.

This was one of my target caches for my trip. Getting an oldie is always special. Thanks

FITW HariSree

We are on a caching trip to Dunedin . Picking up few caches along the way.
It was an easy find here. TFTC

FITW albijos

This was a must find cache, in our list, for this trip. Thoroughly enjoyed all the tussock bashing we had to do to get to GZ. Luckily we didn't had to search a lot to find the cache. It is all good here. TFTC.

Pushed my way though the tussocks from the bullock track and walked right into the cache before I even started looking for it

11:49
Finally! Have found all the other old caches around Dunedin gradually over the last 7 years. Usually get one or two oldies each visit down south, or passing through.
But this one was a bit more out of the way. So finally made the effort. Up Pineapple track, obligatory pano shot at the summit, then into the grass and tussock towards GZ.
Found the cache, reminisced about the historic logbook, and then back down. Chose Davies track to go down. That was a handful.

OUT - Fridge magnet
IN - USB-A to USB-C adapter and euro coins

Kia ora! Paldies!
TFTC, Donovan!
#8877

On a road trip, more to follow later

#12200

Content unavailable. This user has opted-out of sharing certain information with API Authorized Developers.

Well what an adventure to get here. This particular cache is the reason I am up here in the first place as I wanted to tick off another one of the oldest caches around Nz. Once again your caches have brought me to somewhere amazing I would have driven straight past without a second thought otherwise. The views up here are amazing. Really cool to see these older caches in such good condition after so many cachers have been through and logged it. anyway I better crack on, 1 more cache then I’ll return to the car to continue my South Island adventure. Thanks heaps, the placement of your caches is truely wonderful.

After Mount Cargill yesterday in the thick wet fog pushing through the flax and scrubs... this was definitely easier! The up warmed us up quickly and then above the fog below, with the clouds above, it was nice to be in a land of vision.. and dry! A few caches along the way to stop at although mostly we did them on the way back down. Loved the views from the trig, mostly just the fog but it was everywhere... I've never seen so much ever! After yesterday's adventure this walk was so much easier, absence of snakes and wombat holes it went confidently! So much moss, lichen and ferns it's actually a cool walk really and a 2000, our 4th while here, very cool.

Trip log: When cheap flights presented the opportunity to go to NZ with GreyHams, who was keen to get the 5 2000 caches and the web cam I was of course very keen to tag along. I didn't want to miss out on that... Equally as keen for those caches myself and the first chance to get the passport out in a long time and head overseas while we could. Covid Happenings of course did put the trip in doubt and a last minute effort from GreyHams to get the flights changed and it was looking like this might actually happen... until I arrived I truly didn't think it would!

The cache list was quite simple, the 5 2000 caches and the webcams. Of course we did look at others as we travelled, types, DT, not chosen which were in abundunce and caches of quality, if your cache made our list it had a quality we needed. Many thanks for your cache that helped guide us along our way.

Certainly it was a memorable time, barefoot 500 plus metres across a mud estuary of shells and crabs was more fun than it should be. As was pushing through wet thick high flax or tall wet grass across to the caches. But the most memorable would be the fog, the thickest, most relentless fog but it provided some stunning scenery at times and was just crazy.

I loved seeing all the chinese takeaways that did fish and chips, the perfect hedges and a deserved shout out to Indian Zaika for its great food! Certainly with the fog and rain it was an interesting trip and we got quite drenched at times, it hid a lot that NZ has to offer but 'it's a caching trip' after all so it ticked all the right boxes and was very enjoyable regardless. Huge thanks to GreyHams for letting me tag along while he did all the planning, booking, driving and sending in the answers for the caches... as always!

Well that walk was interesting to say the least, now to get back!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trip log:

International travel!!...OMG it feels good. Grabbed some cheap flights and anxiously waited for some outbreak to derail the plan, but that amazingly didn't happen. Sure, I had to scramble and reroute our trip via Brisbane & Sydney as we were originally going through the plague pit...aka Melbourne, but we still made it.

Having done most of the North Island, it was good to finally have a crack at the South. 5 year 2000 caches and a webcam, thats a nice little haul. Sure, some of the year 2000 caches involved bush bashing....in the rain/fog/mist...but we got them all. We had lots of other little targets like getting all our types/sizes/DT, NZ in particular has so many 'Not Chosen' size caches, super rare back in Oz, so we made sure to get as many as possible. If you are reading this, its because this cache had a quality we were chasing.

As always, the Earthcaches and the Virtuals took us to some really cool places, the Steampunk HQ and the boulders being birthed at the beach being the highlights. My favourite cache though would have to be the one where we had to walk 500m over a mud flat, dodging shells and crabs with our bare feet.

This trip will be remembered as the 'fog trip' as we saw a lot of it, which meant we saw little else. Oh, that and how every Chinese takeaway also doubles as the fish & chip shop....its a thing!

This was the second of the 'goal' caches up here, the first being the Virtual, that I had just spent the weekend qualifying for. But I couldn't go back downhill without at least trying for this one... Walked along the track for a bit, then went cross country, eventually working my way to a likely location close to where the coordinates pointed and with a rock and other hint object. Then, like many others I suspect, I spent far too long investigating the nearby item, without success. Stop. Pause. Read previous logs. Think. Search where I had already looked before, without success, and prepare to give up, and follow a faint geotrail back to the path.

What's that? Am I hallucinating? No it's against all expectations, the fabled cache! I had been about 6-10m from it all this time and not spotted it, hiding in plain sight. It's in excellent condition thanks to all who have maintained it over the years, so I added my name to the log, noting it's a roll-call of the elite cachers past and present, so i was humbled to add my name to the list, before continuing my journey back to the track and the waiting car. TFTC.

On a mission during this NZ and Australia trip to grab the remaining available caches placed in 2000. TFTC.

This is the 5 Trip to New Zealand. Is a great Country with a wonderfull People. TFTC

Made my way through the wet tussock and remaining snow to grab this old cache as my 1000th find. Another one towards the old school challenge. Got a bit of a glimpse of the views but clouds have closed in and I can’t see the Flagstaff trig anymore. Time to go. Thanks for keeping this one going.

On a 7 day caching trip with Nosynel. Fourth day on the road focusing on caches in North Otago and Dunedin. Today we wanted to this oldie. Nothing else mattered. Dry feet but wet legs. We walked straight to it. Rain about to come down heavily according to the Metservice so happy to get this. Thanks for the cache.
#5668

Today's plan was to find this old Flagstaff cache and the cache in Dunedin. Jude_E and I stayed in Dunedin last night. Thanks Donovan for creating this hide. It was find 8644 for me.

We took the Pineapple track and then tussock bashed for about 200m. It great to find another old geocache. The third 2000 cache in two days. Thanks for keeping this oldie going. No views today..

======== NZ Mega 2021 ========
Planning for the NZ Mega 2021 event is well underway. It will be held in Auckland over Labour Weekend, October 2021

Took a bit of searching as was further behind than expected but nice and safe. Wow thus is old. Now have to get the oldest in NZ but will need a ferry for that one. Great location.

Final for the old school challenge Wasn't where GPS said - it was about 5m away from GZ and the hint item not next to it, just out in the open as such.

A lovely day which would should not be wasted. Messaged Eve07 to see if she was feeling up for a walk and after a debate in the car we decided to avenge my attempt of the bull ring flagstaff and swampy road round walk. 5 years ago I attempted it and at T for 2 area I fell down a hole and well doctors said that I would have been better off breaking it, 2 years it took to recover from that. I swore I wouldn't come back on own and Eve07 agreed.

We had a bit of a laugh but the lack of shade up here and lack of wind made it very hot hiking up these hills. Luckily we found along the bullock track some flax bushes tall enough to rest under out of the sun. By late afternoon near the pineapple track we could hear some noise, like a boombox .... but wait its the Six60 concert at the Stadium.

***[======== NZ Mega 2020 ========](http://nzmega.com)***

[NZ Mega 2020](http://nzmega.com) is definitely happening, but has been postponed until 2021. It will be held in Auckland over Labour Weekend, 22 to 25 October 2021. 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.
* All the 20s and now 21 as well!

Talk to your geo-friends and start planning to be part of [this event](http://nzmega.com) - you won't want to miss it!

We are caching with AF-BEE, GeoWinch78 and 6ftzpr&1/2zip this trip our purpose is to grab as many of the 'Old Caches',as we can. We decided to take the trail going straight up then it we off to the left. We were getting closer but skirting around it at the same time. When we no longer getting closer .12 it was time to leave the trail. The clumps of Pampas grass and Yucca plants were proving to make our path hard work. There was time when I could not see anyone until I stepped on a clump of grass, then everyone disappeared when I stepped off. Cache was easy to find at GZ. Thanks Donovan for keeping this one alive.

Found with AF BEE, 6ftzpr&1/2zip, and ondago while on a geocaching vacation. Thanks for placing this cache.

We are on a geocaching adventure with ondago, AFBEE and GW78 finding lots of interesting caches along the way including this one. This was a pleasant hike up the hill but the bushwhacking, climbing over pampas grass, etc. in damp weather... not so much... but had to be done. Happy to make the find on this year 2000 cache. Thanks for keeping it going Donovan!

OCW GeoWench78, ondago and 6ftzpr&1/2zip on our way south to Dunedin for the 2000 vintage caches...this was the second...enjoyed the hike up until it came time to bushwhack the last 0.12 miles...eventually made it to GZ and once there a quick find...exchanged trackables and left a pathtag...TFTC!

With visibility very low just followed the GPS bearing to this cache in the wet vegetation avoiding the gorse and other difficult patches. Felt very isolated but having been an orienteer and mountaineer this wasn't a problem. Literally fell over the cache. Nice one. Took a Tb and dropped one that had come from Table Hill, Southland. Rather than backtracking I offset a course for Done to a T to hit the track and threaded my way in the mist. A figure running along the track caught my eye which was a relief. Tftc placement.

Forgot to add : this hike of around 1.5 hours (mine took over 3hrs while caching) and counts towards GC2XBA7 Ramblers Reward Challenger.

Here I am sitting in the sun on a warm rock, being kissed by a light breeze, next to Flagstaff Hill geocache GCB0. THAT IS SO NEAT! Chuffed I am! Fuller log later. Dropped off two TBs that have been travelling with me.
**Apparently as the total trip is around one and a half hours, this hike contributes to my qualification for the GC2XBA7 Rambler's Reward Challenge Cache, Dunedin**

Didn't need a jacket today just a drink bottle . Very warm up here.
Last cache in the old school challenge for me but will have to come back up here and log the old school challenge.
Never mind really enjoyed my first trip up here and also my 3000 find Yah
TFTC

Maintained my cache description today. Changed container type from translucent to white bucket. Cheers, Donovan

This was half of the tasks for today - getting the final cache for the old school challenge. You can see how caches were placed some time ago with no regards to any terrain or bush bashing requirements. This bush bashing was not too bad compared to what came later. The cache was a quick find and great to have still the original logbook with all the entries. This was the final cache for the Old School Challenge, which we targeted while on the job. TFTC

On my second to last day in NZ I found the last very old cache in Dunedin. The way to the cache was a bit hard, but finding it was pretty easy.

Thank you for the cache,
Ellertaler Heinis

Hello New Zealand again! its my third time here in this beautiful country! On my tour, I visited so many nice places and enjoyed so many nice views.. and I found many nice geocaches! Thank you!



Hänsel&Gretel.

I flew in to Dunedin this morning about 9:30am today on my own for a special mission. I picked up my rental car at the airport and I'm of to collect old caches and some others for a challenge cache I’m working on.

I pulled up and parked at the car park below, Obviously this cache is old! So am I and getting to this cache was a huge mission for me but not just getting up the stoney gravel path but then off across the wilderness as well. This reminds of me of the Desert rd from Waiouru to Turangi, wild and awesome! Even though it's blowing a gail across, the weather is actually quite warm.

I took a direct approach from Bullocks cache (which I tried in vain to find before coming here), boy this terrain is bloody hard work! I looked at the hint.... sth base of flax bush... righto, so searched every flax bush in the area for a good hour or more. All the while the clouds were descending, they were rushing right past me, the temperature was dropping! Do I give in and admit defeat? No way! So a quick phone call to a previous finder was made, so after one more valiant search I was about to call it a day, I was cold, I was only in a t-shirt and shorts. Then I finally found it. In the flax... NO WAY! it was out in the open in that flamin' awful spear grass. But despite my annoyances the co-ords were actually spot on! I was using my phone as you do these days. It was such a happy moment finding that damn bucket I gladly gave it a big kiss! Signed myself in and got the hell outta there before it started snowing! (At least that was what it felt like!). If the hint was spot on I'd gladly give this a FP! But not today, I'm sorry. I guess there's been some cache creep over the years.. Now onto Bullocks for another search.

Log later

found it on my way to DunEdin. This ist the second reason, why I came to Dunedin...
thanks, Malta-Dinger

Today, i figured out some notes from our great tour. I have seen, that havent logged these old one. Sorry for the late log und many thanks for keeping the cache a live!

This turned out to be way tougher than expected. To begin work my GPS wouldn't switch on so I jag to use my phone. The iPhone may be the most profitable product ever made but that's not on the basis of its GPS. All was fine until I got near where I had to leave the path. The phone suggested the best route was to plunge to my death off the hill -180 degrees in the wrong direction. Although having said that the correct route was only marginally better as it involved walking through chest high grass and very spikey bushes that soon had lacerated both legs.

When I got to the right area, the phone was all over the place and had me walking back and forth through the tall grass, flax and spikey plants. I checked and noone has ever DNFd the cache in 18 years. The hint had me checking the bottom of every flax plant without success. I have previously found 104 Year 2000 caches without a single DNF but this looked like it might be the first.

Then I stumbled upon the cache. Success! I can't say that the hint is any help as on the basis of the actual location every other spot within 100 square meters also fits the hint!

Anyway, many thanks for keeping it going so long. Thankfully, I managed to get my GPS working for the next cache.

Enjoyed the summit to myself for a while and then basically swam over to this one. Grass was taller than me for most of it. This ended up being my 3700th cache, though I didn't know it at the time! Hopefully this cache is around for decades more

Apologies for generic log but it was a huge day today travelling with Kittykatch and Joolay. It was a highly successful day managing to find lots of interesting and old caches, of which this was one, helping our Jasmer and D/T grid along nicely thank you. TFTC SL

Out from Australia with Smittengranny and Kittykatch picking up old caches and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Been a great start to the holiday. Decided to go for this old one on Flagstaff Hill which was way more hectic than we thought it would be, soooo much grass. We went in as direct a line as possible but it was full on, so glad to make it back to the path. TFTC

Woot! We made it up to the summit the waded our way across to the cache. Found cache in good condition. TFTC

We are on our summer holiday driving around the South Island with no real idea of where we will end up each day. We are often drawn to an area that has the potential to give us a few geocaching smilies and somewhere we have not spent time exploring before. In some cases we are revisiting placed that we have been before but liked so much we are going there again.
While in Dunedin we were mostly searching for the old caches that fill a gap on our date placed grid and some Challenge caches that fill a gap on our D/T grid.
This was one of our targeted caches, (like a lot of people who come to Dunedin to find the old caches). We were a bit surprised that we did not see a well worn geotrail to the cache site. But we soon made our way to the area without any drama. Once we were in the correct area the cache was quickly spotted, we signed the log and returned it as it was found.
Thanks for placing the cache and thank you for the smiley

Thanks