Give Shelter (Waikato) Whakamaru, North Island, New Zealand
By radionut50 and Butterfly_Lady on 10-May-06. Waypoint GCVZ78

Day forty one of our epic New Zealand Adventure with The Morris.Traveling between Rotorua and the lodge in the middle of the Timber Trail. We start our ride tomorrow.We did a few caches on the way here.Collected our information and went back across the dam wall to GZ.A lot of steps here! Mr Morris finally located it about 10 meters out.Clue helpful after the find.Thanks, Robmc.

Day 41 of our Enzed adventures with Robmc and today we leave Rotarua and head North.We had enough time to enjoy a few caches as we travelled, including this special spot.Thanks for contributing to an amazing holiday.

Another one down, Dammmmm! Being dark now and having no success on another local cache here weve averted our eyes to the mystery. A few notes scribbled down and we made our way to GZ. A stop off to the food caravan here though, well worth it! Warmed us up and got us some more energy to retrieve this cache, all it well with GZ, TFTC!

It was dark now but that wasnt going to stop us looking for a few more caches. I thought I would have been able to guess where this one was located, but CO did the ole switcheroo and picked a different side tot he river than I thought. However, the best part about this was the burger caravan parked up at the entrance by the posted coordinates. I highly recommend future cachers time finding this with a nice evening snack

A brief stop to get the numbers (took a photo just in case), the off to a shady spot to solve the final. From here a short walk to the final, just a bit of blackberry bush to overcome. TFTC

#13,852. I was driving north to Auckland today to join my family on holiday. They have flown up as they don't like road trips, especially ones where frequent stops for geocaches are involved. I do like that type of road trip so was enjoying the cruise north listening to music and stopping for any caches I felt like doing along the way. This was one of them. I arrived at the corrected coordinates and thought where would you hide a cache here? Then read the personal notes and saw it was just WP1. Oophs. So gathered the required information, did the maths and soon had a more suitable hiding spot to head to. Did read the description and hint carefully as there are some big nasty drops in this area. As the CO says stay on the flattish ground and don't do any off path climbing that takes you uphill or downhill. You do need to leave the track however. Access was a bit blocked by some vegetation clearing but found a way through and soon located the container hidden as per the hint. Good to get an old cache like this. Signed the log and replaced the cache as found. Photographed the code sheet. Happy New Year radionut50. Gets a favourite from me for the awesome setting. I have happy memories of canoeing around this like in the 1980s.

Interesting diversion on my walk from Whakamaru Reserve. Must have walked 5+kms return for a coffee and this mystery cache.

Camping overnight In Whakamaru Reserve so thought we would wander to tge Cafe and pick up a cache. Worked out the clues and went for coffee and picked up the cache on the way back. Cool hide. TFTC

Found with watcache today, very quick find here.
Tftc

Very accurate coordinates and a fun little mission. A little bit of bush bashing needed to get around some fallen trees.

Nice quick find here due to accurate coords.
Thanks for the placement and the smiley.
Found with xsaveya and replaced as found.

At last found it. Trust theco ords, Bush bash to the oasis where the cache is safely stored.

Did battle with blackberry and so have multiple scratches on legs.

Two large trees have fallen over the path, so a bit of a scramble just to get to gz.

Had a dnf 30/11/19 kept going up the bank.

This time went across, and all was revealed. A well hidden cache, all dry inside.

Thanks for the puzzle and hide. Happy to turn into a smiley

It was nice to pick up a few of the older caches while in the area.
The calculations were made and we headed off to gz. We looked for the usual tell tale geotrail but wasn't seeing anything, so trusted the gps and sure enough, we went straight to it.
Thanks for setting this up all those years ago

I solved this puzzle while taking a break at Whakamaru on the way north for Christmas, but left the cache due to lack of time. Heading home again, stopped to make the find, exactly as described. All good in container, tftc!

Travelling north to Rotorua from Lower Hutt for Christmas - its a two whole day journey, because I keep stopping at places like this. Actually the reason I am in Whakamaru/Mangakino is because here is one of only six caches in the country needed to complete a challenge cache in Kapiti. And while I am here I may as well see what Mangakino has to offer. See? I did say it takes two days to drive to Rotorua from Lower Hutt!

Where do the cache names for this series come from? Also found some errors in the map, like the path here missing. Adding...

A great find once we had solved the coords. Everything with the cache is fine. Thanks for the placement.

Sadly I couldn’t find this one. I’ve come back multiple times trying to find it, but I’m unsure if I have the right coordinates or if I’m in the right place. I’ll keep trying though, hopefully I find it

So I came back a couple hours later and I have found it! The first few times I was very reluctant to go into the bush, but now that I have I found it! TFTC

I'm on a road trip to the far north, attempting to complete the PWGT Tahi Geotour.

This is day one, heading from home to the bustling metropolis of Huntly.

Will expand on my logs, post photos, qualifying caches for challenges, etc. When I get home. TFTC

Had to hunt a bit further than expected, but got there in the end.

26 October 2022 11:33 am Find #5073

This turned out to be a quick find. TFTC

Grabbed the info required last time we were up this way, today we went for a look and quickly found before hitting the road again, thanks for the placement.

TFTC

Stopped by to get required information and then on to the final GZ. On a caching day out with Mum following some of your river trail caches. Thank you for the great day out. TFTC.

Thanks for bringing us to areas we wouldn’t usually see. I love seeing the industrial structures up close.

Out riding from Atimuri to Mangakino village today. This is my second attempt to find this cache. With the great hint I located it this time, Shame about all the rubbish in the area. TFTC

Beautiful day for a drive today so we headed down this way and cleared out a few caches in the area. Enjoyed this simple puzzle - the best type for me! Great spot - cache in good condition although not found for 3 months, TFTC

One of a few caches we located on our way from Morrinsville to Turangi today. Didn’t take long to obtain the necessary info and then find the cache less than a kilometre away. #4720. TFTC.

On a Sunday drive. Seen some cool places today. No problems gathering info. Cache took a bit to reveal its self. Enjoyed the spot. Tftc.

#19498. Enjoyable puzzle on a rather roundabout route to Hamilton. TFTC.

Found with StreetWalkerNZ as we travelled from Palmerston North to Hamilton.
We had never been here before, so decided to do this puzzle / multi and get a closer look at the dam. Soon had some final co-ords and after a short walk, we were at GZ. Didn't take long to find the cache. Gathered the info, though I suspect we will never have all the info for the final in the series. TFTC.

Puzzle done some time ago, was in the area with ABCDF4 so picked this one up after getting our bearings.TFTC.

Down this way with Eyespyben and also chasing some PWGT1 cache
Nice to pick up the Final Nice hide

We wanted to check out the hydro dam and this cache was perfect for that. In my opinion this has been criminally underrated, definitely a fav point. Tftc

Find number 600 for the TheBigFlax family team!
Found it with Te_Panipi in between watersports activities on the nearby Lake Whakamaru.

Favourite point from us

Found this with TheBigFlax clan while on holiday staying at Lake Whakamaru.
Thanks for the great cache.
Favorite point from us also

(# 6486). Grabbing a few caches on the way to a funeral in Matamata. One has to break the trip up a little bit. A quick find after getting the required information to complete. Everything in order. Thanks for bringing me here.

I came down from Auckland boxing day for 6 nights, stayed with Turangi locals Punga and Paua FMZ's parents and (rustynz who came with me down from Auckland), we met up with fellow cachers to cache, kayak, hide caches, do long walks, climb mountains, eat drink and got merry. Several met up for my 9000th milestone, rustynz’s Celebration Event on Mnt Ruapehu on the 31st.

I saw this cache as I was driving, pulled over somewhere and saw it was quite doable then drove to the sign with the blue writing, didn't need to get out of the car, how lazy is that...lol. Then once I could see where I had to go for the final, drove there. Down the concrete stairs I went and soon found the cache after getting scratched by the dreaded blackberry. man I hate that stuff now. Thanks for the cache radionut50 and Butterfly_Lady, a good fun little puzzle.

No problems were encountered in determining some likely looking final coordinates. I used the hint to help me get to the cache site but I think the coordinates would have got me to where I needed to be anyway.

We have gone down to Alert 3 in our Covid-19 lockdown, and Geocaching is now allowed, so time to re-enable the caches.

DISABLING THIS CACHE TO DISCOURAGE HUNTING DURING THE COVID-19 LOCK-DOWN. NEW LOGS AFTER TODAY MAY BE DELETED. THE CACHE WILL BE BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

A quick find thanks for replacing tftc

Spent so much time searching for this one. The GPS kept putting me on the left side of the path?

Sure the cache is there somewhere, but eventually had to let it go. Cool spot

Found as a part of a previous group TanjackMüley, now WanderingSparrow. Now I'm continuing on my own. TFTC

Qef first of the series. We will keep our eyes out for more. Tftc!

This one of the series was a bit more straightforward to work out. Oh no more up hill, hard work after the last uphill we just did. Thanks for bringing us here

A quick find and another view of the dam. And another in the power series. TFTC

Did the mates, which gave me some sensible coordinates. Drove to near ga and went for a stroll. Followed the hint carefully and soon had the cache in hand. TFTC

Find number 4661. I had found 3 caches in the series but only collected 1 set of the numbers so today I intended to revisit those and grab the other 2. After some difficulty at previous (no sign and a little blood) I was pleased to find the sign here and able to do the calculations. Went and parked up and as I made my way to GZ I stumbled and fell to the ground. I good graze on my knee and blood down my shin. cache was all good though and quickly found, Back to the car for a little patch up before heading to the next. Thank you for the placement.

Another great view of engineering over nature. Found safe and dry. TFTC

Thanks so much for replacing this cache. It was the last one I needed to find so that I could go for the bonus cache. Got to GZ easily since we'd been there before and thanks to the excellent hint found the cache without any hassles. TFTC

Called in today and and confirmed the cache has gone missing again. Replaced with a 450ml sistema in a slightly different spot.

Updated the puzzle and hint to match the new hide.
Added a "Free hint" with some helpful information for searchers.

Think I found the right spot but no sign looked in multiple areas

Can someone please check if the cache is still in area thank you

So gutted not to find this one today. We found the information we needed and did the calculations. Went to GZ and found the hint item... and then we looked... and we looked... and we looked some more. We read the other logs and widened out search just in case but no cache for us today. We'll add this one to our watchlist because we're going to need this one to complete the bonus.

Solved the puzzle from the power sub station and traveled back to the calculated waypoint ....searched all around but no luck extended search to the bush on the other side ...now scratched and batter bleeding and soaked to the bone went away empty handed but not beaten ...I will return as I need the rest of the bonus co ords to complete the series ....there is so much rubbish thrown in these bushes from chilly bins to you name it want a shame and slur on our green image

Hunted high and low at my calculated coordinates. Extended search for quite some disatance, but still no luck

The missing Ammo can is restored.

Thanks to Jag50 for the note in October, we had an opportunity to call in today and make a grid search. Sure enough, the Ammo can put on last March was indeed in the area, complete with a nice muggle log. It appears they understood to leave the box, but thought hiding it somewhere else in the area was part of the game.

The October plastic box, complete with its log book is removed, and the ammo can is back where the calculated waypoint (and the hint) points to.

PLEASE ENSURE YOU HIDE IT WELL!

I had searched for this before with no luck. Co-ords sent me to other side of track but want with my hit and soon had cache in hand as well as 2nd lot of Info for the bonus cache. Tftc

We have borrowed a campervan and are making our way along back roads to New Plymouth for Christmas. First night at Lake Whakamaru.
Thanks for another interesting cache placement. We found the small box, then had a scout around for the ammo can, thinking we could reinstate it or bring it home to you, but we couldn't. I guess you have been given more info on its whereabouts.
Wear longs and bring gloves as there is quite a bit of small blackberry about. A CITO bag would also not go amiss, although it is old rubbish. We didn't have one, but instead got one from the van and tidied up the carpark before we left.
We were so distracted by our search, we forgot to view the dam! Damn!

Thanks to Jag50 for the note that the ammo can is still on site, just not at the waypoint.

We will call back at the site sometime soon, but until then, if you find an ammo can, please put in next to the temporary plastic box (at the hint location), well covered, and we will tidy up later.

Worked out the final coords. Found the likely area and used the hint. Others had obviously searched here but no luck for us after a thorough search.

Called in to check out the dnf logs, and darn.. The ammo can is gone! That box did not last long. Replaced with a much smaller box (400ml sistema), hidden in the same spot.

We will update the page info in a couple of days when we are near a computer.

Solved puzzle. But no luck finding the cache. Grate spot for a cache.

Quick stop here on our way to the Turangi MEGA. Found the required information, and translated it to get the final coords. We had to widen our search in order to locate this one.

Solved puzzle after reading it twice and drove to location. Unfortunately we could not find cache but did find hint item. Had a good look around the area but didn't find today.

Worked it out, and took us a place we would have never gone. Thanks for that.

Tftc!! Finally found it! Looking in the wrong place!

Replaced the plastic box with a real ammo can today - that should seal the water out a bit better when the puddles develop.
It is very important this larger box is hidden well when you find it.

Found it successfully on first attempt. Puzzle solved and hint helped. Signed small pad as log is a water soaked goner. Thanks for taking us to a hydro power house. TFTC.

Had a chance to go back and this time successful just like the ABS were today. Original is toast. Tftc

We can confirm cache is still there thanks to smartphone we were able to convert co ordinates to get the right answer. Then after a bit of a search at GZ I restorted to the clue and made a quick find. Cache was full of water and logbook wet we did sign a small pad that was in bag of trades.
Tftc.

Disaster. Went to retrieve final cache and found a fairly destructive scene for your cache. I'm guessing it's out there somewhere but there is no rock and certainly no tree, dead or otherwise.

This entry was edited by Kiwimitchu on Sunday, 26 July 2015 at 06:40:47 UTC.

Here is the photo that was supposed to be on the log entry.

This entry was edited by Kiwimitchu on Sunday, 26 July 2015 at 06:39:36 UTC.

Kiwimichu's log is noted, but the photo looks very different to the area the cache was hidden, maybe there is an error somewhere?

Found 5 out of the 6 original puzzles in this series a long, long time ago but missed looking for this one, so it was nice to finally tick it off today. Found the required info without any issues, some calculations and then off toward GZ. Found what I thought was a big rock but nothing else to fit the hint. Then the GPS settled ... aaaah, THAT hint item! Doh. Cache all good & a lovely spot, thanks for keeping this placement going, TFTC

Replaced the cache, now a 1 litre plastic box, slightly different spot, but not far enough away for a coordinate changr. Hint updated to match new spot.

The Carters log is noted, however they may have found remnants of a previous muggling on this hide, so we will not disable the cache yet, and will check it out in a few weeks.

Found lid and paper work that's all, needs matanince, found in bushes of track , gorgeous place though

Found it, TFTC

No troubles calculating the final coords for this puzzle. Again once at GZ, no-one around looking at the engineering marvels. Something went funny on the GPS as I had the right coords but somehow had the wrong hint. Anyways once I'd solved that problem I found what I was looking for.

Quick stop to collect the information to solve the puzzle and then on to GZ. Pleased to find another part of the code needed for Power to the People, now off to ride the river trail Whakamaru camp to Artiamuri, at least it was flatter and easier than yesterdays ride from Waipapa. Hot sunny day. Great few of the dam. An amazing structure!

A happy puzzle solve and quick find. Thanks for another excuse to visit a dam. t4tc

thankyou for bringing me here walked the bridge and took it all in Last one after our trip to auckland for the mega home to reality now

Passing through Whakamaru on the way home from a day exporing Pureroa. Located the correct sign - made the calculations and headed off - quickly realised we were on wrong side and then went to correct spot. I have passed here a few times and never stopped here - loved the view. TFTC

After our last effort with transcription errors, double checked before moving off. No trouble this time. Noted bonus details. Thanks again radionut50.

Noting tparty's log, I had the opportunity to call in today, and confirmed that the signage at the switchyard had indeed been updated – in fact there are lots of new signs. The text for the puzzle has been updated to clarify the details needed, and the calculation updated to reflect a different number on the new sign.

All updated now and ready for your hunt, and enjoyment of this spot.

We did the sums easily enough and off we went to find the final. At first it appeared we had chosen the wrong side to approach, so we went to the alternative. Neither side ended up being particularly helpful. In fact according to us, GZ was in the middle of the power station. Started thinking about the hint then, and looked around for potential hiding places. It was very hot so Mrs Tparty was quite happy to let me search. I turned up all the rocks in town in the hope of finding the container. Funnily enough I did find it, but for me it was 149 meters from my solution. Grabbed the bonus coordinates for the Waikato River Caches and smugly went back to the car. Something went wrong but it all worked out in the end. TFTC

Called in today and replaced the box. Please ensure you place it well back where you find it - it looks like the groundsman hit it with some tools this time.

Having done two of the series prior to today we were hooked on completing it on our way back to Auckland. However, we came seriously unstuck here. We arrived at the sign and worked the simple maths before heading off to make the find - we thought. Gz looked likely and we took the steps down. But 40m short we hit a locked gate and realised the cache could not be there. Back up to rework the numbers - sane answers. Tried a different approach - still no go.

Frustration crept in. Read the logs and checked some photos. We were on the wrong "dam" side! Also read that cache had been muggled so maybe we wouldn't get the numbers we needed anyway. But we had to know if we could find it for sanity purposes. Using the photos we got to the right spot and found the cache, gps still a long way off. Cache 90% intact so all good there but new box required as noted by CO.

So has the sign changed or did we muck things up - twice. We may never know. Time to carry on our quest. TFTC

Out on a Sunday drive with my parents...

Actually started with this cache... but the coords took me nowhere near the cache. Got a final drop in the fenced off area around the dam. Had lunch and drove onto Mangakino.

On the return trip, used the photo clues to find ground zone. Walked down and spotted where the cache is located... the flattened grass gave it away.

The cache container is smashed and muggles have found and signed the log. This needs replacement. Contents are fine for the moment. TFTC

Cache container destroyed and needs replacing. Has been discovered by muggles. Will need attention.

Thanks for the log squirrel nutcase, it sounds like the cache is broken, but there is still something to log with. We will be down that way in a few weeks with a full replacement.

And so it continues. For the longest of times I have wanted to do this series but just couldn't justify spending the time and gas money. But with a camping trip to arapuni planned I was going to hit all the dams and work out where the final was hidden.

This was the 3rd one for the day and I was impressed with how quick things were progressing.

The puzzle was solved quickly and ready to claim the 3rd dam cache today. On the way to my next parking spot I realised that I must have done my calculations wrong. Continued anyway and parked for a quick view of the area. Used the hint and checked EVERYTHING that matched. Luck was on my side and i was able to claim a find. The cache is in good condition, dry log. Loved exploring and also felt good to collect another part of the solution.

Took a little bit to work out where to go, but got there in the end, legs still feel good after the first 25kms of River trail, TFTC

Last for today. TFTC

Travelling from Mangakino to Taupo for the day. Our 3rd to find in this series. TFTC

Nice easy ?Cache, great views from GZ

Number 1 of the series for us as we were staying at Mangakino for the weekend, so planned a day trip to Taupo to get the series of caches. Found and signed log, walked back up top to discover I'd forgotten to get the bonus numbers! Doh, back down again I went. I can tell you now, I learnt my lesson on this one and didn't forget the others! TFTC!

Haha, tha second of these dam (damn?!) caches today that involved rather a descent, followed by the inevitable lengthy ascent post-cache. I was puffed but my doctor thanks you for making me exercise! Ironically I parked above the final cache location to eat my lunch, and was surprised to then come back again when I'd solved the clues! While walking to the cache I came upon a strange bird's nest, in the middle of the wide open grassed flat beside the road. No nest as such, just a depression in the ground with 4 eggs in it. So a nice little nature lesson too! TFTC!

Quick find while doing the set.