Maungakotukutuku Wander (Wellington) Multi-Cache

A multi-cache set in the Maungakotukutuku Valley, in the Akatarawa Forest behind Paraparaumu.

A little history of the area....

Situated in the large Akatarawa Forest, this valley plays host to the Maungakotukutuku Stream, a main contributor to the Waikanae River, which it joins discreetly onto at the end of the gorge below the Reikorangi Bluff. Due to difficult access, European settlers did not come to the Maungakotukutuku until after going to Reikorangi and the coastal plain. A road into the valley was not constructed until the early 20th century. However, since then settlers became well established. There is photographic evidence from 1917 showing pine trees that were possibly 15 years old, suggesting that settlers may have been in the area at the turn of the century, before a road was made. In 1902, a game farm was established by the Wellington Acclimatisation Society at the northern end of the valley. A number of species were bred and raised, to be released into the valley to provide greater opportunities for hunters. Some releases such as young trout did no harm to the environment, while other releases such as opossums and deer were seen as tragic mistakes. The deer quickly adapted to the local conditions and descendants of the original deer are still found in the bush today. Ironically, they are now being recaptured and farmed as a part of pastoral diversification. The spread of opossums became more rapid than deer, and this was not helped by their inclusion in the Animal Protection Act of 1908, which made it illegal to trap them. The opossums remained protected until 1922, when a new licensing system was designed to limit trapping, which stayed in force until the 1940’s. This opossum trapping provided an important source of income to many early farmers, and, during the Depression, was the only means of survival for some. The game farm was closed many years ago but the foundations of the buildings still remain.

There are four waypoints in this multi-cache, all of which are physical caches. The first waypoint is near the parking area, at the posted co-ordinates of this multi-cache.

From the first waypoint, you can either make your way to the second waypoint by foot, or by multi-terrain vehicle (i.e. a 4WD car, trailbike, mountain bike etc.). The next waypoints will need to be accessed by foot, as driving in the Maungakotukutuku Valley is prohibited.

The first waypoint is a micro cache; a black film canister with a grey, labelled lid. It contains a stash note and 45 'Co-ordinate Sheets', which have the next waypoint's co-ordinates written on them-take one!

The second waypoint is a micro cache; a glass spice container that has been labelled and covered with black tape. It has a brown, labelled lid and contains a stash note and 45 co-ordinate sheets.

The third waypoint is a small cache; a Sistema 400ml snaplock container that has been painted dark green. This waypoint contains 45 co-ordinate sheets, as well as some assorted items, so do some swapping if you like! Please don't put travel bugs/geocoins in the third waypoint and remember to log any swaps in the final waypoint's log book, as well as this webpage.

The fourth & final waypoint is a regular cache; a Sistema 2L snaplock container that has been camo-painted.