Flat Pigeon (Otago) Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache is located on a mountain bike and walking track on Pigeon Flat between Cowan Rd and O’Connell Rd on the SE side of Mt Cargill.
My instructions on how to get there are quite explicit, but as it took me about 10 years of living in Dunedin to find the track they might help. Also though there is signage, the signs are dusty and mossy and hard to see. After the entrance to the track the way is fairly obvious. I'll describe the route as if travelling from Cowan Rd to O’Connell Rd, as this gives the nicest ride...
Precautions: The track has become a bit overgrown with gorse since last year, I would advise gloves... Weather here is not as exposed as on the tops but can still be cold and changeable, take sensible clothing, chain breaker, puncture kit etc.
The ride I will describe takes about 2 hours from Dunedin, skill level moderate to advanced.
Get yourself to Cowan Rd at S 45° 49.441 E 170° 31.711. There is no vehicle access beyond this point. To get here travel up Pine Hill Rd or up Patmos Ave from Malvern St. If biking parking on Malvern St is the best as you will finish by riding down Leith Valley Rd which joins on to Malvern St. It's a bit of a grunt riding up here but spare a thought for me - I ride up Buccleugh St as I live in North East Valley.
Turn left off Cowan Rd up the gravel road at the above co-ords, travel past the buildings and make your way through the gate at S 45° 49.335 E 170° 31.731, and go up this gravel road.
Follow this road to S 45° 48.908 E 170° 32.119, Turn right here. The track changes to a 4WD track and most of the uphill is over.
At S 45° 48.494 E 170° 32.133 gather your wits and turn right into the grassy track entrance by the gate and warratah. There are a few puddles at the start and the track becomes rocky. The cache is about half the way along this track a few metres off to the side of the track.
After finding the cache continue along through the gate at S 45° 48.045 E 170° 32.650. The track joins O’Connell Rd at S 45° 48.014 E 170° 32.755. You could do the track from this point also.
From the track end turn left onto O’Connell Rd, till you get to Pigeon Flat Rd, where you turn left again and follow Pigeon Flat Rd till you get to the intersection with the Northern Motorway and Leith Valley Rd.
If riding this you must ride down Leith Valley Rd, as the cops will tell you off if you ride down the Northern Motorway. Leith Valley Rd meets Malvern St.
Initial cache contents: logbook, pens etc, small ceramic dish, egg cup, used pyrometric cone number 8, and 3 packets of seeds. It's a 2litre plastic container. Take time to read the poem in the cache as it has special relevance to the general area and please leave it in the cache for the next cacher.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf ng gur onfr bs gur fznyyre qrnq gerr.