The Throne Room (Canterbury) Cass Bay, South Island, New Zealand
By dyl & Kiwisean on 03-Feb-06. Waypoint GCTA2G

No response from owner. If you wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, just contact us (by email), and assuming it meets the current guidelines, we'll be happy to unarchive it.

Still no CO activity, it looks as though they may have moved on from geocaching [xx(]

Out for a long hill walk, training for the Heights of Winter 12hr rogaine at the end of June and attempting to tick off a few rarely visited caches in the process. Recklessly attempted to find this! Arrived at GZ after a bit of rock scrambling. The throne must have been spectacularly smashed - debris is scattered a long way down the hill. Hard to tell were it was originally and heaps of rocks to look under. Still potentially very dangerous so I didn't linger to search.

I had a search for this about a month ago. The "throne" has been totally destroyed and I assume the cache has gone with it.
The area is very dangerous now even without aftershocks and I say that as someone who likes a bit risk in life!
I have photos of the area if necessary for confirmation but I'm pretty certain this one's well gone.

The cache appears to be in need of owner intervention. I'm temporarily disabling it, to give the owner an opportunity to check on the cache, and take whatever action is necessary. Please respond to this situation in a timely manner (i.e., within 21 days) to prevent the cache from being archived for non-responsiveness.

Does this cache still exist?

No logs since before 22 February 2011.

No CO activity since 04 June 2010.

Google Satellite and photo gallery images show GZ as a place prone to rock falls.

Cache looks well behind Port Hills Summit Road cordon, not sure about walking tracks though.

Just realised I hadn't logged this.
It was a quick find.
We liked the track and we had made comments about all the rocks about the place on the North Western part of the track and how glad we weren't there in Septembers shake.
Doubly glad we weren't caching two days later on Feb 22.
TFTC.

Easy find with Kwaka40
Had a great time climbing the crags. Shame about the bit that fell off.
TFTC

Easy find with Wilson#41.
We got this one after doing a couple of climbs on the crags. With all the rock
falls from the earthquake this building is lucky to be here.
I think the maintenance men must have found the cache and placed it in a slightly different spot
to the one given in the clue
TNLN

Alas, a DNF for me too

The way I approached the GZ was not the easiest (climbing down from above), so did not see the track closed sign until I was leaving the area. Spent quite a while looking but no luck today. Will return once the track is open.

i found it, and eluded the watchfull eyes of muggles

I think it is even better after the earthquake. TFTC

This cache is not in a safe zone - right under the castle, rocks are strewn everywhere. This should be disabled for the time being...

#77 - A risky cache after the earthquake. The Castle loop track is closed for obvious reasons, however we decided to gun for it anyway. Shouldn't really have done that... A walk around to the throne room revealed why. The path and room itself has been smashed by boulder sized rocks crashing down from the castle. The path looks like it has been cratered by meteorites. The cache itself is fine, but is not a safe place to be. Will recommend this cache be disabled until further notice to stop idiots like us attempting it - SL TFTC!

Had been here once before, so new where cache likely to be. Out with a friend for a long walk/run and thought might as well find a few cache's in the area. Thx. The container was wet inside, emptied out and drained water. Log book & pencil were dry, but rest wet. Had another sealable bag so put log, pencil etc in that, and rest of stuff in bigger plastic bag, so hopefully all will keep dry. Container tightly closed & put back where found.

Perfect cache location - well it was for us anyway! Just what we needed at that time

(267) Another nice easy find, would not want to walk down here in the rain, very slippery.. TFTC, SL.

Hello, logging my personal tracker to calculate distance

Nice foggy wet day for finding cache number 2 for today and an interesting place for a utility like this. TFTC.

Throne room with a view. Didn't even know it was there.... TFTC.

Couldn't believe the structure!. Lovely area but strange location for that. Quickly located cache. Busy geocaching day today. SL TFTC

Nice and quiet today. You wouldn't want to be in a hurry for the 'facilities' in this location!

found quite a while ago now but totally forgot to log it!

Just when we were about to locate, a muggle decided to avail herslef of the throne so we waited discretely until all was done.

found the one with out my GPS just on dark 9pm as we could not get it going at the time but remembered it was call the Throne so when we saw the throne we just had a look around and there it was yaya go us.
looked like there had been a bit moisture it as there was a old key ring rusting a bit in the cache.

Brent and Jeff
TFTC

Glad to find this one quickly during a three-hour run in the sleet, wind and rain, and hypothermia fast approaching ! Thanks.

#890 (4/6 on a Sunny Saturday). Did this on the way back to the car after finding Its Bark it worse than its bite. Easy find. Great vantage point. TFTC.

At GZ, when I looked back to the way we came, there was a sign which said something like "caution steep cliffs". Luckily there was no sign on the other side, the way we came, or I may not have got this far! (Fear of heights and falling makes one nervous on these tracks).
TFTC.

Co-ords seemed a little off, but found easily with hint. Enjoyed a scramble out to the prow of Castle Rock. Lovely day.

Thru the swirling mist and rain we battled on and found the jewel we were searching for. Younger son visited the Throne Room and was very impressed with the facilities! Then he had a great time throwing frozen sheep poos down on us-off with his head I say!!! TFTC Left Bird Watcher TB so he can soar with the eagles (well maybe a hawk)

My son and I were visiting Christchurch for a few days and had driven along the summit road the day before. We stopped at Castle Rock when doing that, and started climbing out along it from the road. Thinking that there must be a cache in such a wonderful location, I turned on my etrex and was delighted (and then horrified!) to see it indicating a cache about 50 metres away in the general direction of the end of the rocky ridge. We worked our way out a little way but I wasn't feeling very safe in my old leather sandals while also carrying a bunch of bits and pieces so "we" decided to leave it. We came back the next day after having read the cache description and noting that it didn't actually seem to be where I'd assumed it must be! This time we followed the track around from the road and found the cache without too much bother. Great views! Then after finding the cache we backtracked and climbed up to the "real throne" high above from the eastern side of the ridge (and despite recurring bouts of vertigo). My knees were knocking so much that if the cache had in fact been up in that area I doubt I would have had the courage to do much actual searching!

Found easily after a hard walk straight up from the gondola carpark, not via the track. Went back down the easier way though!!! Awesome view - watched abseilers and rock climbers while we rested and got the thermos out at 'Eastenders Seat'

- TB 'Coke and a Smile'
+ Canteen bracelet
+ Camping Compass

Brought six year old son up to Castle Rock for two caches. No worries. Swapped toys and left TB. Took away unlogged Love Bug TB. Cheers.

Went the long way!! Quite a climb past the climbers and abseilers, found a "track" that got rather steep and rocky! Made our way down, found the easy track on the way down Easy find after all of that though! TNLN, great view, impressive rocks and very windy!!

Coming from the Summit Road it took us several approaches and some serious rock climbing to get to this throne. Only on the way back we discovered that there was a much easier track. TFTC.
In: Toy car, TB "Another Red VW Campervan" (5892320)
Out: Rugby Cards, TB "Slug and Turtle Morphing Geocoin" (TSHB4F)

Managed to flush this cache out quickly. + Travel Slug, -USA Geocoin

The last and 6th cache for the day. Had just visited Kaukura and this one is on the other side of the hill. Took a bit of finding but my daughter had the best eyes for this one.
Took nothing, placed a hotwheels car.
TFTC
Jeff

Very easy to be overlooked. TFTC

Nice views from up here. Did this one during my long training run up in the hills.
Kiwi-Springbok

TNLN easy find cheers!

After a little searching i found the cache
TFTC

Tom

A nice easy find in an amazing area, timing was perfect for this cache, thanks.

A nice quick find and a great walk. Think I may have to come back and walk around Castle Rock again sometime.
TNLN
TFTC

This one was fun had a great walk today weather was fantastic!

the smell was bad though!

TFTC

mark and liz

Great place for a cache. The kids found it - I was on the throne! TFTC.

dad was on the throne when we found it

well named and a nice warm spot to rest out of the wind.... many thanks +blue clicker; -BP thing

We went quite the wrong way from the Summit Rd carpark to start with, with a bit of a merry climb amongst the rocks that stymied some of the team. But with the location in sight, and a clear track obviously very close to it, we turned back and found a better way.

Nice spot. Stopped for a snack here. Kind of a pity about what it's for as there were two users while we were eating! Oh well.

Whew ! , quite a climb from the Gondola Carpark. Lovely spot though, and it was quite sheltered. We sat and had a bite to eat up here.
Thanks for placing the cache in such a neat spot. We had dangling Muggles to walk past, but in the event we were well shielded from then while looking for the cache.
TNLN
Great Cache Spot ! Thanks

Found on a beautiful but very windy day.

Good proximity to facilities and a jaw dropping view, what more could you ask! TFTC

Warm day, easy fine, nice view. Thanks

We took the high road but were able to easily scramble down to the low road where after a bit of fumbling a cache was discovered and written up. Left dime and took fancy sharpener. TFTC Hatas

We were stymied because we had made a bad assumption at the start, but our son who is more experienced in this type of terrain scrambled about and found us a reaalively easy access route.

Glad our son was here to help us find the easier pathway.

I got a picture of a rock formation that looked like a throne in my mind so off we went rock hopping, the eldest boy in the lead. Part way along I started thinking the terrain was getting up towards a four plus so I stopped and had a good look at the GPSr and realised it was pointing towards…. Aha! Fun time had by all. Thanks.

(Apologies for the late log entry, got more than a little bit side tracked)

Enjoyed a scrabble with Mum and Dad, and watching paragliders while munching bacon sarnies back at the van. TNLN TFTC

Went a fairly direct route, but not right over the top like others. The paragliders, hanggliders and climbers were out in force today. Made use of the throne. Dried out the contents in the sun as they were pretty soggy. TFTC TNLNSL

Busting for a toilet,
while walking around the hills.
We stumbled across this one,
Before we had any spills!!

Completed the loop and found the throne room. TFTC.

My last cache for the day, done in the almost dark, I was a bit scared but I was with a local who knew the way to the Throne. Amazing views! Took a dinosaur but sadly I think he fell out of my pocket on the way out, left a keyring.

Easy find on a fine morning.

And my track record of taking the longest, most tortuous route to get to the GZ I'm after. Yesterday I ended up looking down on the site. Didn't realise there was an easier way down so headed off to try Volcano Rim. Came back today (via Bridle Path), saw the easier way I COULD have gone & found the GZ easily. Fantastic spot to have a breather and write up the log.
- Frog + Space shuttle sharpener

Took the up and over route - more extreme than I realised! TNLN

Had a good run up from the Bridle Path. I wasn't too hard to find, but I don't expect any muggles would be looking there.
TFTC!

Took the wrong route but climbed over the top to get to the other side rather than backtrack. Well, I used to clamber around here a lot many years ago and still remember this hunk of rock. However, it's steep and exposed and I don't recommend it.

Many thanks

Took the wrong route above, so backtracked - but at least I got to see what i was looking for. This one is ticking!
Cheers dyl & Kiwisean - M@

Having wrongly taken the higher path, we then nearly decided to also get there the "hard way", but chickened out and took the long way round. Ended up doing a big circular walk with some great views, so many thanks (it's a rather splendid throne, but why wasn't it built at the carpark where it may have be more of a convenience?).

I had just found KahuKura and was feeling pleased with myself for finding the "easy" approach. and confidantly followed the GPSr arrow towards the indicated GZ.
Well I did not take the "easy route to this cache, instead finding myself close but well above GZ Reluctant to retrace my steps I took the direct way down and had some anxious moments as a result, but maybe 10 minutes later reached the objective for an easy find. This room really needs that window.
TNLNSL TFTC.
Oh, and I found the easy way back.

865 I understand that there are a lot of climbers here which may explain the prescence of the room. "I'm losing my grip on this cliff and about to fall of......" That's enough to make anyone need the throne.
Easy find. TNLNSL DS8300

Found this one today after doing another one thats close by. I was surprised to find the throne there - it is well hidden and not marked anywhere that it is even there! I guess one would assume that it didn't get used that much, however the smell answered that one. Still a welcome pit stop. View was awesome up there. TNLN Cheers!

Went for a walk inbetween rain showers, easy find, thanks.

I found this cache today in the pouring rain,,, still it got me outside and away from the Tv...thanks very much,,cheers Bo

I love this place, one of Chch's premiar rock climbing areas. You cauld have atleast put the cache on the end of the 'castle' to make it more exciting.

A nice spot, with a view. Lucky no-one was inside.
Cheers
TNLN

I've wondered what this was and this cache confirmed it. The door opening the other way would have been better, like some tramping huts that have great views from the grandstand for one. TNLN Thanks.

Would it have cost them any great expense to have put a window in the structure? If it looked out over the valley below, that would have made its use a truly "regal" experience!
Took nothing, left nothing. Thanks for the exercise (and the cache).
Conton

Gees I did this one the hard way! Took the wrong track from the top, and ended up going round the wrong side of the rocks. Decided to climb up to the top, back along the top of the rocks and them came down on the right track which got me down to GZ. Managed to easily avoid the cliffs. No exchange made. Cheers Gav [945]

One of the last finds of the day. Weather closing in and getting very cold so no lingering to look at the view. Rock climbers still at it. No swap.

A reasonably quick find still with couchsurfer in tow.

Top of our nearest list and third for the day.
Got to this one from the top. Figured out what kind of a Throne Room we were heading to on the way down, a bit bigger and flasher than we were expecting though, heh.
A quick find while we stopped to admire the clear view, right to the mountains today.
TNLN, thanks a lot.

Great walk, but from the other side. Talk about take the long way home ... Buckomama slipped on the path going down the track, and has a nice bruise to show for her slip. After so much rain, it probably is best to avoid this path to the cache.
Excellent spot - close to another cache previously found early in our caching expeditions.
- Tardis TB to take to the mid winter christmas gathering and a mirror
+ NZ Pen
Thanks guys

With this so close to home, I had to walk to it. It would have been a lot easier if it hadn't been further vertically than horizontally!
I had also thought about putting a cache here - but you've come up with a much better name than the one I had.
I'd first spotted this structure on the way home, when the sun was glinting off some metal.
+TB Tardis.

Forgot to log this one before. Easy find on a quick loop around the rock.

Proved nice and easy, after circumnavigating Castle Rock just to enjoy the views in gorgeous weather. TNLN

Wow - what a location.
A bit hard to believe, isn't it.

A fine day for caching. Chilly wind though. + golf ball. - Cody the Bear (I think Cody has morphed into an Alsation dog - weird) TB.

Cody Roams the hills above Christchurch & Howls to the Wind.

Found easily after a short walk down from the road on a very pleasant afternoon with my son David. I could picture the site before we got their after another visit to the very interesting rock formations. Thanks - no exchange.

There were great views out over the city this evening at the end of an extremely hot Christchurch day.
Thanks
Iris & Rodney [1030]

Walked up from the bottom, started off at 9pm. It would have been a much easier walk if I had not lost the path and then had to go cross country for a while. Got to the cache at 10:10pm in the rain, got all confused and wrote the wrong date in the log book. It is quite a view of the city lights from up here even with the overhead cloud. TNLN.

dropped edna the echidna TB when it was placed

Great views good walk our last CHCH for the day, we did think about coming here first, left Oamaru at 5.30am but throught we would have to leave at 12.00pm to beat you know who

Grabbed the TB

Cheers Bitsprayer

As you know, I always have a desperate need to pay a visit early in the morning - must be something to do with GAS!!! Actually, after the rain overnight, it was a lovely quiet morning up on the hill, and I sat(outside) watching the Castle battlements silhouetted against the rising dawn, and the city lights going off block by block. And nobody else turned up - just think what you're missing, still tucked up in a warm bed!! Come on, answer the call of nature.
The cache was an easy find, but I had to donate a pencil.
No swaps, thanks for the FTF, and cheers from Grandalf.

Out with Flat rabbit and Little Red Engine. Easy find again by LRE. I saw this one available at midnight last night and nearly came up then. maybe I should have, well done Grandalf.
+ green Santa TB
- Anteater TB
Thanks,
S.T.

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