Day 3 – Sunday 2nd May

We started the day with a nice walk around the base of Mount (Mauao).  Along the walk, Kev had a sit down and I went down the beach to retrieve GC1YRB2 Rules of Engagement (Bay of Plenty).

I also retrieved the travel bug Spotted Lizard from this cache, which I swapped with the travel bug Key to the Cache.

After a coffee break to revitalise from the big walk, Kev and I did our first web cache, GCKJWJ Moturiki View and you too (Bay of Plenty).

Next was our first multi-cache, one where we teamed up with a geocacher in the UK, GCMYWH OVER THE POLE, South to North (Bay of Plenty).

That was enough geocaching for the day, and in Auckland Kev Snr (and my Mum) attended GC2401K 10 years! Auckland, New Zealand, Geocaching.

Day 4 – Monday 3rd May

We were meant to be going back to Auckland today but decided to extend one more day.  We started with a cache nearby our Mount accommodation, and while Kev was enjoying the view of the beach, I climbed up a hill to get GC1KAP0 The Muffin Man (Bay of Plenty).   

Another quick find since no skater muggles around, we found GC1G8PD Sk8r Boiz 7 (Bay of Plenty).

Our next cache didn’t take too long to find, but it was impossible to open!  We wrote our name to a little piece of paper and slipped it in a tiny opening of this huge cache.  A few people before us also had difficulty opening it so it wasn’t because we were weak lol.  GCKB58 The Toy Box (Bay of Plenty).

Without reading the recent logs, we went on to GCM4HG Otumoetai’s Railway (Bay Of Plenty) to add our DNF to the growing list – this cache is non-existent since remodelling work. 

The next cache was also not promising, logging another DNF for GC23KGB Salt Marsh (Bay of Plenty),  I think the “KGB” part of the geocache code is very apt as this cache is well hidden!  Kev sat in the car as I went off walking and searching, and even knowing I was in the right spot, I just couldn’t see it!  After 30 frustrating minutes I gave up and returned to the car defeated.  After us, a few more people have found it, but there have also been a few DNF’s too. 

After some lunch at the Tauranga waterfront, we went looking for GC18F8C Waka cache! (Bay of Plenty).  It took a few minutes but as we had come across a similar cache before, it didn’t take us that long – thankfully as we didn’t want to post another DNF!

On more final stop on the way back to the Mount,  we went hunting for GCRPKX NOSEY PARKER (Bay of Plenty).  After searching all the obvious spots (and everywhere else), we posted yet another DNF.  I really think this one has gone walk-about, no one has logged anything onto the page since we searched for it and it should have been an easy find.

Tomorrow it’s back to Auckland!

Day 5 – Tuesday 4th May

Time to go home, but not without a few geocaches on the way! 

We started with GC277ZC First or Last View, Bay of Plenty, NZ.  Plenty of room to park, you couldn’t get any closer to the cache!  Found without much drama – just the way we like it!

Next stop was another easy find, especially since Kev found it – GC1P25N Athenree Homestead (Bay of Plenty).  We swapped the travel bug Spotted Lizard for the Travel Slug Geocoin.

Then we went to GC1PMH1 Beach and town lookout.  Took awhile to find, a long while, but we got there in the end!  And the main view was gorgeous.

Time for a beach stop.  We found GC20VZJ Number 20 (Bay of Plenty) after a good 10 minute search – nice hiding spot! 

The next cache was perfect as both Kev and I needed a toilet stop. GC1XX7E Coro Beach Park (Bay of Plenty) was another great hide without needing to search for too long.  We took the travel bug Debbie the Dolphin.

Our final cache before lunch and non-stop drive back home to Auckland, we went to GC1R20F Pohutukawa Lookout. (Bay of Plenty).  Like other people, our GPS had us searching the wrong tree, but once we had the right one, was a nice simple find.

Next stop – home!

Day 2 – Saturday 1st May

Happy 43th Birthday Kev!  We spent the day celebrating Kev’s birthday and after our shopping spree, had a quick stop for a local cache in Tauranga.  A big beautiful tree and the cache was found in no time, GC1T0RN The Lost Boys (Bay of Plenty).  For the evening we drove to Rotorua to celebrate the GC255AW 10 Years! Rotorua, New Zealand geocaching event held at GenCuster’s house.  We had a fabulous time and met some old friends and made a few more new ones.  If you check out the event link, you will see me and Kev in the official photo.

DAY 1 – Friday 30th April

Every year we like to go away for Kev’s birthday (May 1st), so this year we decided to go to Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty.  It happened to coincide with the 10 Years! Rotorua New Zealand (Lost and Found Event Cache) so perfect opportunity for us to go to our first non-Auckland event.

We left Auckland just after 7am and arrived at the Mount at 5pm – lots of geocaching along the way!  Our first geocache was a nice and easy find GC231YF Monumental Effort (North Waikato).  The next cache GC24KAT Millennium Bridge (Thames Hauraki) we had to log a DNF – it looked easy, should have been easy, but no cache .  Luckily enough, our next cache GC1TCCA HMS Otago’s Deadweight (Waikato) was super easy, but what a terrible smell!  Not sure if it was the “country” air or the tree next to the cache, but Kev and I both agree we were happy it was a fast find because we couldn’t hang around for much longer.

Next stop was Paeroa, and we retrieved the GC10QY2 World Famous in New Zealand (Coromandel). 

Assumed it will be close to the famous L&P bottle, but the cache location indicated other type of beverages had been consumed – as the logs suggest, not the best to look at night time.

Our next cache, GC13C1X Crown Battery (Coromandel) has been our favourite so far.  It was a beautiful location with great historic information about the gold mining in the area.  No one was around so Kev and I had plenty of time to locate it – which we needed!  Once we finally got in the right spot, was a nice and easy find.

We drove to the next cache GC16TKB Owharoa Falls (Coromandel) and some workers were having their lunch at what we assumed was the entrance so we did a quick tiki tour up the road.  On our return the path was cleared so in we went.  Entering the track we noticed the gorse was a bit overgrown but we had our hiking sticks so pushed passed.  After a endless walk we reread the info, and noted we were not meant to go over the bridge – we were walking towards the top of the falls, not the bottom where the cache was!

Back to the car Kev decided to sit it out and I went by myself.  After walking the proper way, I was greeted by the beautiful falls, and after a few minutes searching in the trees, found the cache.

It was approaching 3pm and we hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast in Pokeno around 10am.  We stopped at Athenree Flip ‘n Bear Cafe and Pancake Den.  It had been recommended but we had never been before.  We highly recommend this place – the pancakes are absolutely delicious!

With our tummies full, we did a final few caches in Waihi.  We stopped off at Martha’s Mines and completed our first earth  and virtual cache in one go!  They were GC1G06V Martha Gold and Silver Mine (Waihi) and GC367B It’s not mine, it’s Martha’s (Bay of Plenty).

The final cache of the day was GC21W6W The Pumphouse (Bay of Plenty).  Kev was pretty tired and didn’t fancy the walk up the hill so he rested on the bench while I went up.  My GPS was pointing me slightly in the wrong direction and after a good 30mins going around and around I had given up.  With my final glance I just caught the edge of the cache, I love when that happens!

With 8 finds and 1 DNF we called it a day and went to our holiday accomodation for a good rest before a weekend of geocaching!