Best Caches in Auckland and Queenstown

[+Stanford Gal]

Next week, I am on my way to New Zealand with a girlfriend, one of those geomuggles as we say, and I was hoping to get her interested in geocaching while there. I saw that there were a lot of recommendations given in the past to those visiting your area....So I thought I'd give it a try and ask for suggestions. As I look at our schedule, I see that really, we will only have time in Auckland (one and a half days) and Queenstown (two days) to go geocaching. We will be without car, so I cannot try for any remote, so I guess I am stuck with the more urban types this time - though I love walking and hiking.

 

Can anyone pass along suggestions?

 

Stanford Gal

[evilC]

I haven't done that much geocaching in Auckland myself, but I would recommend the following:

 

Spring Geometry which is near the Zoo.

 

Domain Terrain which is near the Museum.

 

Both of the above use a similar style and require a bit of time and possibly quite a lot of walking. (Actually - I never managed to finish Spring Geometry but I still enjoyed it!) A much easier cache near central Auckland is Clacker on Mount Eden.

 

Anyway, hope you enjoy your time in NZ!

 

Cheers

evilC

[evilC]

PS: The only cache I've hunted near Queenstown is Tobin's Track near Arrowtown, which is a short drive from Queenstown and very popular with visitors from overseas so I guess you'll pass that way at some stage. That cache was great when we visited, was then plundered, but is now (from the logs) up and running in pristine condition again. A nice walk after visiting the cafes in Arrowtown...

[+Stanford Gal]

Thanks evilC - Those do look like fun caches - I have a TB that I am bringing with me so I want to make sure I at least find one that I can put the lil guy in!

 

Stanford Gal

[Nemesis]

Tobin's Track (Arrowtown, Otago) is in Arrowtown but you sould be able to find public transport to get there from Queenstown.

 

There are two (now temporarily unavailable, but you can log them) caches within walking distance of the Queenstown centre. They are Time to Cache (Otago) and Pipeline Highwalk (Otago) by Team Meem. I tried both of them myself, but with no luck. I suspect that as they were the first two caches that user had placed, maybe they used the wrong map datum. If that is the case, it would be a good idea to start with the first of the two caches and to try several different map data. Also contact the owner to see if you can get more detail as to the location of the cache and a full explanation of the hint. Good luck.

 

Cheers,

Donovan.

[+Stanford Gal]

Thanks, Donovan --

 

I have done as you suggested and have sent an email to Team Meem. Hopefully they will provide additional info so that I can attempt those two caches in Queenstown.

 

I look forward to trying yours! As I said, I have two travel bugs I am trying to place there!

 

I'll keep you posted!

[+tofska]

If you're based in town then there are a few you can do by taking the ferry. That way you'll see some great views of the city and harbour.

 

A Game of Soldiers is on North Head - take the ferry to Devonport.

Island Rock is on Rangitoto Island. Another ferry will take you there.

 

Hope this helps, M@

[+Stanford Gal]

I just returned from NZ, so I did not get these latest suggestions until my return. Thank you, though, M@, for your suggestions! They do look splendid!

 

One thing about going with a non-geocacher....You have very limited time to actually geocache! I only managed to find two, one in Christchurch and the other in Arrowtown. I wanted to snatch the one in Fiorland, but there were too many people about and I did not wish to jeopardize the cache, so opted to not retrieve it although I was right there!

 

I absolutely loved your country and cannot wait to return. And I must admit, I sit here trying to figure out how I can move there!

 

Thank you for your assistance, and I look forward to returning as soon as I am able!

 

Stanford Gal