Bealey made it (Southern Alps) Arthur's Pass, South Island, New Zealand
By nandor on 19-Nov-05. Waypoint GCRCPV

We have always wanted to come up here, and today was the perfect day, absolutely no wind, lots of sun and not a cloud in the sky! We made for a relatively quick trip up, through the bush and along the mostly good ridge but there were a few airy bits to the summit. Once there on the summit we easily found the cache! Phew, cache found, now we can relax and have lunch and look at the view while reading everyone's different experiences in the logbook - all the while adding our own! Every mountain around was out in its full glory today, and not a soul in sight! How fantastic!! The downhill was a bit of challenge on the knees but we made it and then off to the Otira Stagecoach Hotel for dinner and a pint! Thanks for bringing us up here, a favourite point from us! Now to find the next high altitude cache we haven't found yet!

Quick find traversing from Avalanche Peak.

Woohoo - so stoked to have claimed this cache today. Where do I start with this adventure? I needed one cache to complete the ?Get Your Boots on Challenge, between 1800-2000m. So on a holiday in February (my hubbie didn't exactly consider that it was a holiday), I decided to climb up Tongariro for the cache there. Unfortunately the weather turned and although we went to the top of the Red Crater, it was too windy, raining and misty to go out to claim the Tongariro cache. A few days later I attempted to climb up Mt. Taranaki (even though it's actually higher than the altitude required) but again the weather packed in with gale force winds. I had to get back to work and didn't have time to do any more, then we were coming down here and going over to Hokitika for the weekend, so I planned this climb to complete the challenge and then pick up the final. The weather forecast looked dubious at first with 'severe gale force winds' forecast, and rain, but not until tonight. We took a punt and headed up there this morning, and the weather played ball and we made it. Took three hours to get up there (70 mins to the top of the treeline which is the hardest part in my opinion), and two and a half hours down, but we must have taken around 50 photos, so that is a little time consuming. Pretty chauffed with the whole adventure - a favourite point from me, TFTC

At first we had to decide if we climb Avalanche Peak or Mt Bealey. We had a look at the caching map and it didn't look good for Avalanche...
So we checked the weather this morning and started to climb Mt Bealey. It was still a bit cloudy but we hoped for the best.
We took it easy. After about 2 hours and 45 minutes we arrived the top and all clouds were gone. We searched at first for the cache because we noticed muggle coming up. After 10 minutes search we spotted the container. Yippee! What a success. The nice weather with a stunning view and to find this old cache with that D/T rating.
We set up for lunch and enjoyed the view. We have been on top for an hour before we started going down. With lots of photo breaks, observing keas and knee problems it took us almost same time we came up. Anyway it was a very good adventure and we enjoyed it. Definitely a favourite.
Thanks for showing! Tftc

Found it after a long walk on a beautiful day!!

TFTC, it was a great destination, we came across from Avalanche Peak, on a stunning day. My muggle friend also signed the log.

Did I ever!!

where to start easy ... I needed a 5/5 for the grid and this was the closest to home and one I thought I could do.

I left Geraldine at 8.00am and was on the track just after 10.30 ( and what a track) I have no problem with the 5/5 rating because it was that alone for the first hour just through the trees, I have never come across so many exposed routes on a track before full concentration was definitely needed. Finally broke through the tree line in just over an hour to finally see where I was aiming( until then on the drive in it was a guessing game , is it that one , could be that one) . thankfully the track improved from here and managed to make decent time along the ridges, couldn't have asked for a better day clear skies and views for miles. there are a couple of narrow parts where I had to keep my eyes on the track and not where it wasn't .
I did get my hopes up when I reach a summit cairn and thought I had made it then checking my phone I realized I had one more ridge to cross, well at least I went higher than the remaining snow but it was a bit of a slog but finally made it in 2h 40m.
had to wander around for a while looking for the "flat 1/2m rock" (yeah right) must be a kiwi flat rock.
but I wasn't going away empty hand so was very please to retrieve the container and sign the log.
now time for lunch ( turkey sarnies and mince pies ) with stunning views.
on my return trip I chose to drop down to the grass line and follow that over to the previous cairn which was a lot easier should have done it on the way up.
the descent thru the trees was definitely not a quicker trip and finally made it back to the car in a round trip time of just under 5 hours and that was with plenty of breaks on both legs . I had it recorded at just under 9km. this was a definite fav for me tftc.
now for a swim across lake Pearson !!

Lovely 24 hours out of town. Left chch yesterday in a cold easterly at 7 pm, camped opposite Klondyke corner where there was nobody else, today did Bealey-Avalnche traverse in lovely weather and got this cache on the way. A double scoop icecream in arthurs pass before driving home ended the day nicely. Arrived home to a cold easterly at 7 pm. Getting out of town even for just 24 hours can be SOOO satisfying. Tftc.

This cache is in a awesome location, I love that its log book is more of a message book, and that despite being over 9 years old I am still only the 13th person to write in it.

Did this as part of the Bealey, Lyell, Avalanche traverse.

Thanks for a awesome cache.

Probably not the most famous summit and walk around Arthur's Pass, but when I read about it in my hiking-guide and I saw it had a Geocache, my choice for my day's hike was made: Mt. Bealey it is! The way up here was quite challenging as it's very steep and contains a lot of roots and rocks. It's getting a little easier above the tree line. Having a GPS for navigation it's no big deal even though there aren't any way marks anymore. After the first smaller pre-summit kept a little too far to the right side while descending to the saddle prior to the final ascend, but a little climb never hurt anybody, did it? So then I safely made my way up to the summit which I had all for myself - not a single person around! So luckily nobody could have heard me screaming "Yeeeeeehaaaaaaaa"! What a wonderful place to be! Really enjoyed coming up here. The way down then was way easier and faster.

Thank you very, very much for this magnificent cache. I really enjoyed it, so I'll leave a fav-point! Greetings from Germany, cheers, Alagos

14:10 - Really amazing trip to the top of the mountain. TFTC

I found this cache with my friends from Czech republic Baroon and bratrkulicka, after we had climbed this amazing mountain, which was already covered by snow. After endless days of rainy weather, the sky in Arthur's Pass finally became clear - just for one day, and let us to enjoy those most stunning views from the summit of Mount Bealey. Although it was freezing while we were climbing there, we really enjoyed this challenge and 5* terrain workout. Great walk and awesome cache - our first 2x 5*! Thank You very much for this unforgettable experience!

With 15cm of snow this was always going to be a difficult hunt, it didn't help that it was snowing lightly and the wind was very cold. No luck this time but I hope to go back one day and find it (when there isn't snow)
I'll be surprised if anyone finds it now before spring.

Nice easy drive by cache! Well, maybe not! fantastic views from up here. Now should I do the traverse... hmm, decisions. Left TB. TFTC

What another great day in Arthurs pass with clear skies this morning. A check of the met conditions and we where all set set after doing the signing duties at the DOC to doing our first 5/5 cache and our 2nd T5 cache in as many days. Headed off a little after 9 and the track through the beech forrest was steep, rough and cool. Had great snipets of view and cleared the tree line to get to the end of the official track in about an hour. We could see our target and kept going (the track sort of comes and goes a bit in afew places but its not really a concern. The wind did pick up pass a few of the ridges and valleys and we almost lost our hats. The clounds burned off leaving get views of the mountains and valleys all around. Just breath taking. A few tricky rock climbs around the lower summit and saddle ( we ventured a little too low on the NE face when we should have stuck to the ridge or dropped off the SW face). Once at the summit we saw another party coming behind us (in reality they where on the lower peak so we had some time) so we quickly set out to find the cache which did not take too long. Both the phone and the GPSr being very close. (The GPSr was even spot on with the altitude at 1836m). SL and replaced. We then had lunch and then the muggles arrived. We swaped a few photos and then set off back a tuch after noon. Dropped off the return papers at DOC at 2pm.

What a fantasic hike. Fav point awarded.

No Kea's at the summit or at the car.

TFTC

This entry was edited by bella at waggy on Sunday, 11 November 2012 at 08:47:55 UTC.

Man - what a climb. But a great challenge! Being a mountain runner, had to get up as quickly as I could Ascent took 1h 33mins Descent 1h 5 min

Whoo we made it.. and what a day - so enjoyed the walk up this mountain and the views from the top. Lots of flowers still showing and an absolutly beant day. We decided to go down the scree and Rough creek which was quite an experience - Rough creek living up to it's name with all the boulders and washed down broken tree trucks.
My second 5/5 cache - thanks for the placement.

Best cache I have visited, as it is a decent walk and the coordinates are spot on, with bonus of excellent GPS accuracy in such an open spot. Nice one, thanks.

.

A day trip on Waitangi Day with the family including two eight year olds - they did very well. We went up the track then down the scree slope and river. a very nice day. took a while to locate the cache but found it eventually. cache is in good condition. TNLN. thanks for the cache

That certainly was an adventure! I took advantage of ridders76's company car and company, and we took advantage of what appeared to be the last opportunity of the year to visit.
The trip down the scree was fast and fun, but the trip down the river was exciting to say the least. At times it seemed like it was about a 20-30 degree slope down. We had to leap from side to side, and sometimes scrabble down boulders, and other times swing from branch to branch up the bank. It was only just light when we finally got out. It certainly would have been a lot quicker to just follow the track back - but also a lot less memorable. TNLN, thanks.

An interesting day out with Kiwilegend at this time of year. About 100mm of snow on the leeward side of the ridge which made following the trail easier, surprising how many people had been through in the last couple of days. Took plenty of warm clothing as the wind chill would have been taxing otherwise. Came down the scree slope and out the creek, this was almost a mistake as it was reasonably dark when we finally exited, boulder hopping in the dark would not have been fun! Had only a little bit of cloud and the wind slackened when we were at the summit. It started to snow lightly on the way down.

A group of 4 overtook us when we stopped for lunch, turned out one knew Nandor and a couple of the group had heard of geocaching. We overtook them when they stopped for lunch, we did spot them at a distance behind us but don't know if they made it to the sumbit of decided against.

Thanks for the adventure Nandor.

Possums don't normally venture this far above the bush line but this one just had to be done. Just under three hours up and two down. The cache was a straight forward find once the summit was attained. Didn't write too much in the log book as it just started to snow and the wind had a keen chill.

Had been past here on a number of occasions as one of Joe Possums favourite one day walks is up Avalanche via Scotts track and then a travers to Lyle and on to Bealey, then down Bealey to Rough creek (8 to 10 hours).

TNLNSL. Thanks to Nandor for the challenge.

I aborted an attempt about 3 weeks ago (before leaving home) as I didn't like some last minute changes that the metservice made to their weather forecast.

I was a bit nervious about this cache as I've done Nandors Myra cache on the West Coast - so I expected the track to be steep and rough. What can I say Nandor - it lived up to my expectations and some!

I left Greymouth at 8:00am expecting to hit the track at 9:00am, but roadworks resulted in a 10:00am start.
I was at the top by 3:00pm (Moneydorks' aren't the most nimble of creatures) and found the cache in seconds - the first place I looked as the GPS co-ords were bang on!

I thought from the web page that it was over a year since the cache was last visited - but it seems Navigator49 dropped in for a visit 30 April 2006 as he was "passing by"!!

The trip back down the hill was a little quicker - I arrived back at the car at 7:00pm.

I had a fantastic day - not a cloud in the sky to start with - some light cirrus over the West Coast when I finished, with very light thermal breezes near the tops - no need for thermal clothing at all (but I carried it all the way up and back anyway).

It was great to get it off my 'nearest unfound caches' list - which is now empty!!

Thanks for the challenge Nandor.

Edit - photos now added.
Note that I did the cache solo - quite a challenge since Nandor's Myra cache was the first *real* mountain climb that I've done. At least I was back down in daylight (unlike Myra).

[This entry was edited by Moneydork on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 at 11:51:40 PM.]

[This entry was edited by Moneydork on Wednesday, February 07, 2007 at 12:07:16 AM.]

We got lucky with the weather, it was blue sky and sunshine! Found the cache easily once we got to the top. Getting to the top was the challenge! Great place for a cache. Took nothing, left a Canadian dollar coin (AKA loonie). Thanks for the hike. - Rusty Reebs and Ski Bunny from Canada.

Navigator 49 and I took 2.25 hours to walk up Mt Bealey; he found the cache quickly while I wasn't looking. As he watched while I searched, keas were picking a large hole in his pack, leaving mine untouched. Justice eh?

Well I found it quite quickly as Bootsie said, but I moved away without letting on where it was so she could have the fun of searching. While all this was going on a couple of the feathered ones were quietly having a ball with my pack back at the summit cairn. Next job tonight is on the sewing machine. See the mugshot of one offender having a go at the cache. Actually I have met many Keas over the years and they have done a bit of damage but never so quickly and thoroughly as these guys.

Got to 1600m ASL but had to turn back as the wind was too cold and the drizzle was not going to let up. The walk in the trees is hard going I must say. Will try another day with better weather.

Well, you must have known that this cache wouldn't last as long before the FTF as my Foggy Fun did. I was going to try on Monday, but the weather was impossible, bringing fresh snow onto the tops. But today was good - so I set off early from the city, and started climbing by 7:30am. The ridge is steep and rugged, and the snow in the footholds required extra caution. But I did get some lovely views. And finding the cache?? - let's just say there are a lot of options. But 5 - 10min methodical search revealed the prize. Thanks nandor for this one - I'd climb the mountain anyway, but the cache was a great bonus. I used the scree slide for the descent, but down in the stream, Rough Creek lived up to its name. And I was back home by 2:00pm - as I had a meeting to attend. Apparently, there will be more snow up there tonight.
No swaps, cheers from Grandalf.

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