Escarpment (Canterbury) Hillsborough, South Island, New Zealand
By ridders76 on 07-Oct-05. Waypoint GCQW7R

cache find # 3787. This cache was one we wanted to find as we do like to find archived caches. MrGt54 went in for the find. Found the cache easily. He stopped we watched the rock climber nearby. TFTAC.

After seeing this cache on my phone and not on the Geocaching website, I discovered that it had been archived because the track was closed. After a bit of online research, I discovered that the area where the cache is located is open after remedial and geotechnical work and alternative access was under construction or had been completed.
http://www.mountvernonpark.org.nz/new-tracks-safer-from-rockfall although the usual track past the site was closed. Figured I give it a go. I'm not sure what "huge slips" or how "impossible to reach" the GZ was supposed to be, but there were no issued getting to the GZ at all from the Albert Terrace side. Cache was found after a few minutes. It's a shame this cache was archived, seems it may have been a bit of an over-reaction by the cacher to posted the "Needs Archived" log or perhaps the tried to access the cache from the hill side, rather than the street access.

Given the closed-off access, and environment, this long-standing little cache sadly has to be archived.

Regards,
Zero Gravitas
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The track this cache is on is hidden on is closed. There have been huge slips in the area making it impossible to reach. That's why no one has found it since January.

Was disappointed that we headed down the track towards this one to find the track closed due to danger of rock falls. Feel it should have been mentioned in the cache page. You might be able to get to it but i felt if the track is closed it is not safe.

My gps was only 15m out for this one. Found pretty quickly using the hint. Great walking track for some exercise

Found it. What a neat place. Tftc.

Great. I enjoyed walk down. No climbers while retrieving. Quick find but with hint;) thanks.

Great walk down quick find now back up tftc

Since the publication of a cache nearby - well at least as the crow flies - I have been saving this venerable old, closest to home, cache for a dot day - but I had enough gas in the tank to just make this one after the ridge climb. Luckily found quickly as I was puffing by this stage. Hasn't been ound for a while and that is always a bit of a worry - but the coords were spot on and GZ was as expected.

Quick find.

Have been nailing a few on 'closed tracks' recently, and to be fair this place must have been a bit interesting durign the big quakes. No Rock Muggles today, nice and quiet. TFTC

No luck today. May try again another day.

TFTC! No TB though

Really enjoyed finding this cool spot so close to home. Kids had awesome time climbing up the track (though mum was a bit put off by the rock fall warnings). Best bit though was the blackberries! Had to go back to the car for a container, apple and blackberry pie for dinner tonight, yum!

This one has been sitting on the radar for a little while now, thought I'd take advantage of the fine weather to get into this one. TFTC.

Never been up here - awesome!

Found it. Well worth the effort. TFTC

No luck today. Too many rock climbers. Next time.......

My wonderful wife gave me an afternoon cache pass and I was off. This one was the first one for the afternoon. It was about 11m further north than coords. But, that could easily be due to the sheer rock faces. The track to GZ was overgrown. But, I can't believe I've never been here before. On the way home I spotted some rock muggles taking advantage of the rock. Thanks for placing this cache and bringing me to this gem. It was nice to get out of the heat of the day to be in a cool spot.
#585

TFTC

I came looking for this one from above over a year ago, with my old Garmin 12. Interference proved too strong that day. Much better with the Oregon 450 today - approached from below. Still quite a bit of work to locate due to weed growth and small container, but that just made the feeling of accomplishment even better. TFTC.

Don't know why we hadn't gone for this one until now. For some reason I thought this one was out of order. Lots of large rocks and boulders around from serious shakes. GZ was a small challenge to locate perhaps due to cliff interference.

Went for another run in this area today specifically to look for this cache. A couple of days ago I was here, but there were climbing muggles nearby. Quick find TFTC

Decided to give this a go, despite the track being closed due to the risk of rockfalls. Arived at GZ right under the cliff, and wasn't keen to hang around for long. Some of the rock did look as though it could be dislodged in another quake. But being too hasty I wasn't careful enough and couldn't find the cache. I didn't want to come back, so with a sigh I was resigned to being there longer. I re-searched and this time came up trumps (12:30). Then I was out-a-there (to Bush Bash) as quick as wink. TFTC. (I see we had three quakes after I found this cache while I was on the hils, including a 4.0 at 13:15 and a 4.7 at 13:30, but I didn't notice any of them!).

Scrambled all over the rocks for a while, lots of snow damage to the bushes and trees, it was dark though.

Decided to risk it and go for this one - you only live once. What a thrill got up there and back in 10 mins flat - great fun. Easier find than expected. TFTC (#208, 12.18pm)

Took the family for an afternoons wander up the valley. Impressive rock faces.....must have been too windy, not a sole in sight. A fairly quick and easy find whilst perusing the heights.....nice one. Thanks.

TFTC. was a beautiful day for a hike in this beautiful part of christchurch

new houses across the road

The name made me think it might be harder than it was. Thanks.

Nice area. Can with Flobberworm! yesterday, but over muggled, infact all over the cliff face! Had to come back early this morning instead. TFTC.

Nice walk to cache. had to come back at night because of muggles in the day

Took a while to find but managed to find before rain set in

After a bit of a scramble around in the wrong places. Went further on and discovered another area to hunt in and there it was. TFTC

Found it after a bit of a look around on my start of a run to the top.

Def took the hard route to get to this one. Good spot. Tftc

Lovely run down from the top, hard walk back up. Tftc

Safely tucked away in its little hidey hole. Beaitful day on the way down from run up the Port Hills.

We live in the area and I never knew the climbing wall was there. It was great to learn more about the area we live in - nice one

Nice easy walk up from below,found cache with help from the hint as GPS lost signal near GZ.TFTC.

We've been climbing here a couple of times, good to find a cache here! No. 100 for me!

Nice hide - warm morning - took a few minutes to get my bearings but found, SL TFTC

Found easily by gut feel as the GPS was a little haywire near the immediate area. Removed a broken plastic magnifying glass. No sign of TB although there's no way it could have fitted in here in the first place unless the container has been replaced at some stage. Carried on further up into the gorge and back via the ridge while the lights started to twinkle on over the city. Beautiful. TNLN

Took the hard way to cache from above. Fairly easy find at location. SL TFTC

Found but certainly needed the clue as once we got close the GPS went hay-wire. Great place to visit but wish I had of worn my tramping boots rather than my sports shoes. The rocky terrain makes for tricky walking. No travel bug in the cache nor any room for one. Thank you for leading us up to this excarpment. We met some interesting young people who were practicing rescue rock climbing and they were very friendly and interested.

Quick find TFTC

found it with emily, No need for the GPS today, which is a good thing as it had been taken away in the car!

Our first 'official' find - set off from the wrong direction, but did find it in the end. All good fun.

Yes, the GPS reception was poor in this area which meant we had to rely on actually looking around for it ... like real caching. No problems at all, it was intersting to find the climbing wall. Thanks for bringing us here.

All Good - not a hard find - just took a little looking around. TFTC.

Our very first Cache. Good wee find - took a little looking around. TFTC

Looked around a bit with GPS never homing in closer than 10 metres then knew it when I spotted the hiding location. TFTC.

Heaps of |Muggles absailing in the way. befriended them and secretly found cache.

Had time to kill so thought I'd try try this one with Old Boots!. Almost turned back when we found it was so muddy. Rosie was keen for a walk and wasn't to be denied so onward we went. Getting up close to the escarpment was tricky but once we were on the right track it was easy. Cache then found in the first likely place we looked. TFTC

tricky find

A great stroll, great to come to an area we wouldn't otherwise come to. Yeah, stared at climbing zone but not tempted to scale great heights by cliff hugging. (#437, 2/3)

Thanks.

#606 Neat place. A learner climber was nearby getting all the good oil from his instructor. TFTC

Kids had fun climbing the rocks and finding this cache. Thank you, great place.

Found it though took a while. With friend findersmurf

[This entry was edited by Farrow4 on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 2:15:05 PM.]

Coming from the top of the hill is definitely not the best way to go, not least because it is a long way back up. So it is nice to do this cache with Grandalf's Hunstbury Heights, but not a recommended walk between!! Tired legs!
Finally got it by attacking from the right angle, thank goodness for the clues. A lovely hide-away.
With Drew.
TNLN.

My first tme in this valley. TFTC

#626 (1/7 on a Mt Vernon Farm Park ramble). No muggles before 9 on a Thursday morning. As promised, reception at GZ was not great, but careful observation soon turned up the cache hiding place. Must come back and do some climbing here sometime.

I consider myself rather lucky to get this one. I ummed and arrghd'as the cold front came through and decided to give it a shot. I followed the gps, then the hint, then looked for signs, and lo and behold - there it was! I hadn't realised that it was a micro either. As I left a strange bird that I will have to look up sang to me. Thanks Ridders76.

TFTC

TFTC

A quick find. I did come here last year but there were muggles about. TFTC. Cheers Bevyb.

Just been waiting for a quiet time to claim this one. Thought 8pm on a Sunday evening would be good but still had to be quick to avoid some avid climbers. Nice to see this one back. TFTC.

Thanks for repairing this one.
Found it. [^]
TFTC.

Placed a new cache container. It is smaller than the last one but covered with objects to arose a cachers interest.

With three consecutive DNF's logged and no finds for nearly a year, we did not fancy our chances. Still as we were intending to kick on to Bush Bash anyway, we stopped for a look. Plenty of signs that frustrated cachers have been searching the likely spots along the base of the crag. Had a poke around as well but came up empty handed. I fear that the cache is now a lunch box for a muggle rock jock. Will contact Riddlers76 and wait for update.

PS As we moved on up the valley it became clear that the coords that were sent to the GPS for WP1 of Bush Bash were also way off. Bugger!!!

Out for an early morning walk. Frustrated at being unable to find this 1.5 out of 5 difficulty rated traditional cache, having completed the classic Barely Bearly yesterday. So off to find Simply Sudoku instead.......that'll be easier!

(ps. found SS straight away!)

No luck on this trip. Pretty sure we had the right location. Searched all likely spots to no avail. Good little gorge though.

9.30am. Had it been a fine day, warm and we had found it, then it would have been a most enjoyable outing. But it was raining, freezing cold, very slippery and worst of all we didnt find it. Looked along the base of the escarpment in the likely spots until covered in pollon and soaked. no luck but interesting place. Tftc. [8d] m&p.

What a great wee valley! I look forward to spending some more time here - although I suspect this might be doing one of Grandalf's caches There were a few climbers about, but I was able to extract and return the cache without them seeing. Cheers Gav [1760]

Nice walk after the rain had stopped, kids liked the echo.
Took rugby card, left keyring
TFTC

TFTH. TNLN. Cheers

Evening walk, not to long to find this one given the GPS reception in this tight gorge. Left a weetbix card and a penny. thanks

Found this one after a bit of searching around, a nice spot, I will have to come back here for a walk sometime, thanks for the cache guys!!!

Great climbing spot. Only 2 climbersout today. Enjoyed the walk in.
Thanks for the Cache Ridders76
Cheers TT

I found titanic erratic in about 5 minutes, it took me well over 5 trips to find this one, but I got it today!!!

Thanks Ridders 76
S.T.
TNLN

Didn't find it this time. After reading the hint we'll have another go sometime. Interesting spot to visit.

Found this with bo&bronnie today (he actually found it last night but tried not to give me too many hints). A nice walk up another track I hadn't come across before.
Once in the right area, an easy find.
No sign of the No Name TB, appears to have been picked up & not logged.
TFTC

Yay, I had been to this cache site many times looking for this cache, I new it must have been muggled because I looked everywhere you could look, so when I seen that it had been replaced I new I needed to return,so off I went tonight in the dark with my torch in hand and yahoo ,, the big find,,yay ,,this is such a neat wee place,,cheers and thanks.

I could have left the GPS at home, it was just about useless in that gorge. Matbe you have to be lucky with the satelites. There's a better way of pinpointing the right spot with the GPS in that terrain rather than wandering straight into the gorge with it. I'll let let people work that out for themselves, it's not rocket science.
Anyway, nice spot for a cache.
TFTC!

found it.

GOT IT!!!!!!! We struggled up there on a beautiful caching day... and got swamped by a Mum, Dad and 4 screaming Kid muggles just at GZ. They didn't seem to be inclined to buzz off anytime soon so we retreated ourselves.. but ½ way down the screaming appeared to be moving up the valley so a quick trip back and found the cache quite easily after a couple of minutes searching. Also found a camera in the bushes behind the seat so if anyone has lost one let me know.
TNLNSL

Put a new cache in place this afternoon, go get it!!

Blast!

Found this cache eight weeks ago. We were back in the valley for another reason today and - aware that a couple of DNFs had been logged - looked again for the cache. It wasn't where we found it last time.

Looked and looked, two of us so it was a boy look AND a girl look, no luck!

Looked every where, unable to see it.
A nice spot

Had to keep waiting for two guys with camera to keep moving along. Thanks
83rd of 85

In TB NO Name

Sweet find on a warm Saturday afternoon. There was just one pair of climbers on the escarpment and they ignored us. The weather was supposed to be awful, so maybe that's why so few people were about. TNLN. Cheers.

Its there safe and sound.

No luck for me either, I shall return.....

I'll try to get to cache in next few days and check, watch this space.

spent some time looking but didn't find it. Will return and have another go