The search for the hidden treasure will take you around the trail, you will need info to calculate the final position by taking note of the tree number engraved on the posts there.
What is strange about this bush is that it does not have a Maori name, and there are no Kauri trees. Kauri have been planted there, but none have survived. Also there are no Pohutukawa. The sea would have almost lapped the margin of this forest in the past, but there is no evidence of coastal influence in the vegetation, and no Pohutukawa, which is found just about everywhere else on the coast around here.
The most conspicuous tree is the feathery grey-green Kahikatea “White Pine” (dacrycarpus dacrydioides) .
Until recently the tree was more likely to be referred to by the misleading name "white pine", despite its not being a pine; the Maori name Kahikatea is now more widely used (other Maori names are kaikatea, kahika, katea, koaka).
For Maori, the Kahikatea had many uses. The fleshy aril or koroi was an important food resource, and was served at feasts in great amounts. The wood was also favoured for making bird spears. Soot obtained from burning the heartwood supplied a pigment for traditional tattooing (ta moko).
Close to the start of this little adventure the Council has a Metal box on the side of the trail which should contain leaflets explaining all about the habitat and trees here, all around the boardwalk there are numbers on posts which when you use the info on the leaflets explain what type of trees they are.
Waypoint given -- is at the start of the board walk.Its a "V" container with all the co-ords to the waypoints you will need to find, just tear off one copy please.Record your tree numbers that you find by each waypoint on the piece of paper.( I have given all the waypoints on the cache page in case it gets stolen)
ALL THE WAYPOINTS HAVE A DEFAULT S 47--- E 45 ---
Dragon Snout, you can see it on the SE side of the trail about 8m away, don't go to it though., find the tree marker there on the boardwalk.
Conjoined trees ,on the midpoint of the curve in the boardwalk.
The Big Twins have a tree marker there on the walkway.
Big Totara--- Find the tree marker there.
Now you should have 4 numbers that you have found, calculate the position of the final as follows---
South--Dragons Snout and Conjoined Trees numbers--add together, subtract 13, then subtract that off 500---Cheksum of South Final = 11
East--Big Twins and Big Totara numbers---add together subtract 4 then add that to 070---Cheksum of East final= 7