A few interesting caches

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Monday was a quiet day with some people from a craft group visiting and so I worked on my miniature plants.  I made a few water lilies with which I am not very impressed.  Perhaps they need some more work.  Will get to them later.

The weather wasn't very inviting to go for walks, so we had a quiet day at home.

On Tuesday morning I decided to go and walk to one of the caches nearby.  I'd found out that it was back on the list after it had been disabled for a while.  It didn't show on my GPS the day before, because I had downloaded older information.

T2A-R: Show Up (BOP)

The gate to the showgrounds

T2A-R: Show Up (BOP)

This one was kind of interesting, because first of all I discovered that the new information hadn't downloaded correctly, so I did not have the correct co-ordinates.  However I didn't notice until I had replaced my batteries which died at the moment I walked towards GZ.  Fortunately I had read the description at home and remembered the hint.  I also had had a closer look on Google Earth, so I was happy to come well-prepared.  I found the container without difficulty and signed the log.  On the way back the same lady who was looking out of her window across the fields was still standing at her same spot, but she couldn't have seen me as I had disappeared behind a high fence.  I used my camera as a kind of distraction, appearing to take pictures of the various buildings in the show grounds.

After lunch the weather cleared a bit more so my friend was happy to drive me to Waihi, where I wanted to go back to an earlier cache and to a few around the gold mine.

T2A-R: Take a Break at the Lake (Waihi, Waikato)

T2A-R: Take a Break at the Lake (Waihi, Waikato)

This was a cache I couldn't find the first time around, but after a friendly e-mail message from the CO I wanted to give it another go, and it worked, which means, I understood the hint better. ;-)  I signed the log while my friend waited in her car (to hide me a bit from muggles) and then we were on our way again.  This time to the gold mine in the middle of the town.

The Pumphouse (Bay of Plenty)

It's correct name: The Cornish Pumphouse

Some camo!

The Pumphouse (Bay of Plenty)

This particular cache I really wanted to find, because Frank and I had been standing right here a month before we started geocaching and we never even realised it!  I have very fond memories of this area, because it has beautiful walking tracks and we have walked just about everywhere here.  Even Kevin, our son, knows the mine, because we have taken him there to show him around a few years earlier.

This cache was not very easy to find, but eventually I noticed a possible hiding place and after a bit of unloading small rocks I had the container in hand.  Then it was back to the car and onto the next ones around the other area of the mine.

Waihi Martha Lookout, Bay of Plenty

Waihi Martha Lookout, Bay of Plenty

This is one of the lookouts around the mine where you can observe the work in progress.  We have spent many an hour here just watching the hive of activity.  The cache was an easy find and since it was still a bit cool and overcast there weren't any muggles around.

Martha Gold and Silver Mine (Waihi)

 

Martha Gold and Silver Mine (Waihi) 

In this corner were two more caches: an earth cache and a virtual cache.  As they were close together I wanted to try to get them as well while I was there.  The earth cache required answers to a number of questions that I got right and I was allowed to log my find.  The picture I had to take myself using the self-timer on my camera as my friend stayed in the car while I was on my mission.

It's not mine, it's Martha's (Bay of Plenty)

It's not mine, it's Martha's (Bay of Plenty) 

The virtual cache only required the serial number of the big truck, but I took a picture anyway.  This one was okay to log as well, so all in all I managed to find 18 geocaches in New Zealand.  Not a bad result. After all it's more than one cache a day.

The next morning all the fun was over and I had to pack for the trip home.  The shuttle arrived at 11:30am and the flight home was quite uneventful.  I managed to finish a movie which I had started on the first flight and watched a second one as well.  At home we were delayed for 20 minutes and circled in a holding pattern for the duration.  Customs was a breeze and my son didn't have to wait too long.

So, I say goodbye till the next caching adventure...