Visitor

January 1, 2003

Hello Kiwis--

I'll be visiting your lovely country for two weeks starting February 1, and would like to do some caches along the way. Here's my planned route of travel:

Chirstchurch--Dunedin--Invercargill--Stewart Island (where I hope to visit 47S, 168E)--Manapouri--Lake Wanaka--Queenstown--Auckland.

Any suggestions for relatively easy caches along this route?

Also, I have a Garmin etrec vista. Is there a prefered mapping software for uploading to this unit, in your experience?

Thanks in advance for any help you might provide.

Joe Miller

Boise, Idaho USA

joe@mcdevitt-miller.com

January 1, 2003

Sounds like a good trip. What do you conceder an relatively easy cache? We don't have a lot of drive-by caches in New Zealand (ie 1/1 caches) but here is my list from Christchurch to Dunedin (the ones I have done) that do not require a trip off the beaten path, or much of a walk.

Christchurch

Bobs Place

911 Fire Fighters Memorial

Triangulation

Highlander

Ilam

From Christchurch to Dunedin

Dunedin

Make sure you check out Nandors nzcaches.tk which shows all the New Zealand caches on a map of NZ.

In regards to maps for your Garmin, unfortunately you can only download MapSource maps to the GPS so you are limited to the maps on the WorldMap CD. Apparently Garmin have NZ maps under development, but I have no idea when they are to be released. If you want moving map software for a laptop then Tumonz, TopoMapPro and NZMapped are your options.

Hopefully some other fellow cachers will be able to give you pointers caches in their areas.

Cheers

Nick.

January 2, 2003

Thanks Nick--

I should have been more clear on "relatively easy." What I had in mind is that I'll be traveling with three other people who don't share an interest in geocaching, so I should probably try for ones that can be done somewhat quickly so as not to be a drag on group activities--wouldn't be fair to ask them to cool their heels while I struck out on a 10 hour trek.

Thanks for the pointer to Nandor's map. Very cool.

January 2, 2003

quote:
What I had in mind is that I'll be traveling with three other people who don't share an interest in geocaching, so I should probably try for ones that can be done somewhat quickly so as not to be a drag on group activities--wouldn't be fair to ask them to cool their heels while I struck out on a 10 hour trek.

That is what I thought you meant, and all the caches I have mentioned fall into this category (though a lot of other caches are in very scenic areas with fantastic views, so you could use this as a selling point to your travelling companions )

Cheers

Nick

January 2, 2003

In Auckland I suggest trying:

Auckland's Panoramic Paradise

All caches except the last I've visited and are either easy or are places your companions won't mind waiting while you look. The last falls into the should visit category so I don't think they'll mind.

I hope you enjoy your visit, Cheers, Neill

January 2, 2003

"I hope you enjoy your visit, Cheers, Neill"

Thanks Neill; these look great. I'm sure we'll have a fine time. My wife & I visited NZ about five years ago & enjoyed it so much we've wanted to return ever since. Accumulating enough frequent flier miles for ourselves and companions is the only thing thats held us back

Joe

January 16, 2003

Hi Joe, hope you have a good visit. While in Manapouri will you be seeing Doubtful Sound or the Power Station? I work there so would like to meet you. Interested to see a plan to tackle Stewart Islands confluence - I've been looking at that too - it looks very rugged. I was thinking the best way to find it would be to fly over in a helicopter, hover at the correct spot, drop a long, brightly coloured, weighted streamer, preferably with a low powered transmitter and then land on the nearest clear ridge - about 5km away. GPS coverage would be poor in the bush so the transmitter and streamer would help get near the right place. The 'copter would return when called by mountain radio. DOC would advise on the nature of the scrub in the intervening 5km. I imagine it'd be very, very hard going if it's tightly packed matagouri.

I'd give Opihi River a miss - true - it's only a few metres from the road but is very ugly. Unity & Bledisloe are nothing flash either but while in Dunedin drive up Mt Cargill where you can park very close. For your friends the views are stunning. If you've 3-4 hours to spare the 40km (1 way) diversion to Sutton Salt Lake is superb. An excellent walk in the dry grassland and amazing rock outcrops. Shag Point is a lovely beach cliff cache only 20m from the carpark and offers great views to the Pacific - it's only 2.5km off the main road. All Day Bay is another lovely beach - cache 5m from the car & 8km from main drag. In Christchurch the most stunning view I found was at Nicks Nautical Lookout - drive right there and while you're scratching 'round under the rock / bush your friends will be pretty taken with the views looking down to the Gondola, the Plains and Lyttleton. Have a great trip - Tony.

January 16, 2003

For the cache tips. They look good.

We do plan to visit Doubtful Sound. I don't have the precise date with me at the moment. Why don't you e-mail me seperatly at joe@mcdevitt-miller.com and we can arrange to get together. Would be fun.

47S 168E does look like a challenge. Like you, I've concluded helicopter may be the only option, particularily since I'll only be there one full day. The proprietor of our lodging accomdations at SI is investigating to see if one can be organized. You can read about him here: http://www.portofcall.co.nz/. He's been very helpful.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Joe

January 16, 2003

It should be a great trip DJM!

I can suggest a few of the more approprate caches along with some suggested travel routes.

Starting with Christchurch, I will leave it up to the local caches to suggest options.

If you have more than one day to get from Christchurch to Dunedin, I would suggest taking the inland scenic route to Mount Hutt and then to Timaru via State Highway 72. This would allow you to find a multitude of caches:

Fall'n Glentui Bush is a short diversion along with many others nearby that I have not found.

Hororata River #2 is easy, there are others around Mount Hutt that I have not found yet.

If you only have one day, then you could try:

Fuel Dump is very easy but not scenic.

Opihi River is the same.

All day Bay is a nice drive along the coast.

Shag Point is a short diversion.

Seacliff Hospital of another nice drive along the coast and a virtual.

In Dunedin you could try:

Mount Cargill is easy with great views.

Flagstaff Hill is the same but with a short walk.

Botanical Gardens combined with a visit to the gardens.

Unity Park is very near to a lookout.

Centenial Memorial is a virtual and a great lookout.

Spit Beach is a nice drive and a walk along the beach, but, quite difficult. Go at low tide.

Bledisloe Rush is difficult and not too scenic, but, it would be a good one to find on the way to or from Flagstaff Hill.

With a short side trip from Dunedin you could find:

Sutton Salt Lake is very scenic.

Rushing Water Hidden Box is a nice scenic short walk on the way to or from Sutton Salt Lake.

From Dunedin to Invercargill, I would reccomend the southern scenic route via the southern coast, you could find:

Slope Point is a virtual that I have not found yet. There are other caches along this route, but, they may be a bit time consuming.

From Invercargill you could find:

Bluff Hill is VERY difficult, but, it is right beside a great lookout that will keep the others occupied.

From Invercargill to Manapouri, I would reccomend that you take the scenic costal route along State Highway 99. You could find:

Monkey Island is an easy virtual at low tide.

Clifden Bridge is a virtual and a gift.

Near Manapouri is:

Dock Bay is a short scenic walk.

On the way to or from Wanaka and Queenstown you could fund:

Tobin's Track is a short scenic walk in Arrowtown.

Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon looks good, but, I have not tried it yet.

Other cachers may have more suggestion for finds in and around Queenstown and for the rest of your tour. Have a great trip!

Cheers,

Donovan.

January 16, 2003

quote:
In Christchurch the most stunning view I found was at Nicks Nautical Lookout - drive right there and while you're scratching 'round under the rock / bush your friends will be pretty taken with the views looking down to the Gondola, the Plains and Lyttleton.

If you are going to visit N.N.N (fantastic views as Tony mentioned) you might as well keep going and do Boulder and Godley as both of these have great views, and are not too far from NNN (skip Drift as while you will drive past it, you probably will not have time to research the answer) Depending on your approach to NNN (I sugest driving along the crater rim, more great views!) you may also pass Canada Connection and maybe the final place of BaldEd's multicache Canterbury Tales)

Cheers

Nick.

January 21, 2003

Thanks for all your suggestions. Here’s what I’ve come up with for a plan. How does it look to you? It may not happen exactly like this, as travel always involves some amount of improvising once you get started, in my experience. I haven’t yet decided whether to take a laptop, so don’t know if I’ll log them when found or do them all upon return.

2 Feb 911 Firefighters

3 Feb Nick’s Nautical Nest

Godley

Boulder

4 Feb Shag Point

Seacliff Hospital

5 Feb Mount Cargill

6 Feb Slope Point

8 Feb Bluff Hill

9 Feb Clifden Bridge

10 Feb Dock Bay

11 Feb Lazing on Sunny Afternoon

14—16 Feb Auckland Panoramic

zuhe gongju

Tamaki River Rocks

In return for your generous suggestions, I’d be pleased to buy you a beer/other refreshment when we pass through your respective locales. Let me know if you’d like to connect.

Regards

Joe

January 21, 2003

Hi DJM,

I'll try to get the Zuhe Gongju back in it's nest by the time you come through

Cheers

HLD

(Like a BLT only with more hair)

A friend helps you move house. A REAL friend helps you move a body!

January 26, 2003

Hey DJM

When you are at Shag Point, you could add in Trotter - planted today and will be on Geocache site by tuesday.

Ciao,

Brent

January 26, 2003

I see that are also two new Caches by Bit Sprayer close to Shag Point

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=51613

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=51600

Ciao,

Brent

January 28, 2003

Thanks for these three suggestions. They all look good--senic, relatively easy to get to--just what I want.

Currently, our plan is to drive by auto from Chch to Dunedin on one day-- 4 February. Do you think it is feasible to do Never Never Land, Puke Mataa, Trotter, Shag Point and Seacliff Hospital on the same day? Having never traveled this route before, I don't have a good sense for how much time is required overall or how much time would be required for side trips to the caches.

Best Regards

Joe

January 28, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by DJM:
Currently, our plan is to drive by auto from Chch to Dunedin on one day-- 4 February. Do you think it is feasible to do Never Never Land, Puke Mataa, Trotter, Shag Point and Seacliff Hospital on the same day?

Pick me, pick me, I can answer that one.

You should allow about 5 hours for the trip with no stopping.

Never Never Land should take less than 30 minutes, as it is close to the main road.

All Day Bay should take less than 45 minutes including the side trip along the coast.

Puke Mataa is another 30 minute job.

If you would like to do both Trotter and Shag Point. It would be easiest to take a 5 to 10 km side trip to Trotter and then backtrack to the main road. You may then continue south along the main road to Shag Point.

Trotter may take about an hour including the side trip and the walk up the track.

Shag point should take less than 40 min including the side trip.

Seacliff Hospital should only take an additional 30 minutes, but, you could skip it if you are running out of daylight.

So, you should allow about 4 hours extra for Geocaching. I'm sure you can do it faster. In total it would take about 9 hours to reach Dunedin, with a number of interesting stops for your passengers too.

Cheers,

Donovan.

January 28, 2003

Thanks for this excellent guidance. If I can roust my companions out of bed early in the morning in Chch we should be able to do most of these and still reach Dunedin before sunset, it appears.

Based on your obvious knowlege of the vicinity, what would you reccomend for a place to stop for a mid-day meal?

Regards

Joe

January 28, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Nemesis:
Seacliff Hospital should only take an additional 30 minutes, but, you could skip it if you are running out of daylight.

What, are you mad - Seacliff Hospital is best done at night

Cheers

Nick.

January 29, 2003

Hey DJM

Drop into a supermarket, pick up some French Bread, Cheese, maybe a prepared salad, a selection of cold meats - a bottle of screwtop Marlborough Riesling wine for the passengers and some disposable plates, knives, forks, goblets (for the wine) and some napkins - then have a picnic at the appropriate time.

Rgds

Brent

January 29, 2003

Don't forget some decent cheese, my favourite is the Kapiti range. I'm sure you'll be visiting some fantastic places for a picnic weather permitting. It'll be a holiday experience others won't have had

January 29, 2003

Sounds like a great idea. I should have thought of that.

Why would you visit the hospital at night?

Regards

Joe

January 29, 2003

http://www.varsity.co.nz/newspapers/gyro/secret_place_9.asp

He He

Ciao,

Brent

January 29, 2003

http://www.ect.org/news/torture.html

http://www.library.otago.ac.nz/libs/medical/prevmed.html

http://www.cchr.org/art/eng/page36.htm

Ciao,

Brent

January 29, 2003

quote:
Why would you visit the hospital at night?

I guess if you are visiting for the view along the coast as you drive to the cache you would not want to do it at night. We did it at night, and it certainly added something to the visit. Knowing it was an old mental hospital, and thinking about the movie 'House on Haunted Hill' had us totally freaked out - torches casting strange shadows through the trees, every sound amplified because it was so quite in the area, the ghosts of the past.... you get the idea

January 29, 2003

LOL - yeah, what Brent said while I was composing my reply

January 29, 2003

Too slow Nick.

Seems funny that you turn left 200 metres before one mental hospital to visit another one.

Ciao,

Brent

January 29, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by DJM:
...If I can roust my companions out of bed early in the morning in Chch we should be able to do most of these and still reach Dunedin before sunset, it appears....

...what would you reccomend for a place to stop for a mid-day meal?

You don't need to rush as it does not get dark until about 8:30 pm.

I like Brentc's idea of a picnic for lunch. There are plenty of rest areas you could stop at to eat it (or even in the Oamaru gardens near Never Never Land, depending on when you reach there)

Cheers,

Donovan.

January 29, 2003

I don't think I'd go anywhere near there at night--unless there was a lot of wine left over from lunch.

Joe

January 29, 2003

When I said Yikes, I was refering to the hospital, not Donavan's suggestions.

January 30, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by brentc
Seems funny that you turn left 200 metres before one mental hospital to visit another one.

Make that another former mental hospital. It used to be Cherry Farm, now it is a cheese factory and lifestyle blocks.

BTW DJM, I was caching yesterday and it did not really get dark until 9:30 pm, so you have plenty of time.

Cheers,

Donovan.

January 30, 2003

Originally posted by Nemesis:

Make that another former mental hospital. It used to be Cherry Farm, now it is a cheese factory and lifestyle blocks.

I had to turn into Cherry Farm when I over shot the intersection - I don't think I would want to live or work there.

Ciao,

Brent

January 30, 2003

Thanks for the sunset report.

Can't wait to get underway. We're wheels up from here--my house--N43 36.602 W116 10.354 at noon tomorrow for the 11,500km (straight line) journey to Chch.

Thanks to everyone else who has provided tips.

Best

Joe

January 30, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by DJM:
...We're wheels up from here....

Have a great trip and I hope you manage to avoid the rain too.

Cheers,

Donovan.

March 2, 2003

Well, I should have predicted I wouldn't do much caching with three non-enthusiasts in tow. But I did get a few, all of which were enoyable:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=39494

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=11495

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=41108

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=5701

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=431

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=8140

I had another GPS adventure also:

http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?lat=-47&lon=168&visit=1

All in all a great trip. You have a wonderful country.

Joe

PS: Sorry your yaughting team didn't do better.

March 2, 2003

Hi Joe,

What a magnificent effort in attempting S47 E168 confluence. Loved the tale. Hoped you enjoyed your stay.

Cheers,

Bald Ed

March 2, 2003

I agree, I dont think anybody will reach that confluence on foot anytime soon.

I'm glad you enjoyed your little trip down our way.

Cheers,

Donovan.

March 3, 2003

Thanks BaldEd and Donavan. Based on our reconisance of 47/168 we concluded the only possible way to reach it on the ground would be to hire a D10 catepiller and bulldoze a road to it. You'd probably want to do this under the cover of darkness as roadbuilding might arguably be inconsistent with DOC management objectives for the area.

We truly did enjoy the entire NZ trip. Good as gold, as you say.

Regards

Joe

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