Welcome To Orewa (Auckland) Traditional Cache
Welcome To Orewa (Auckland)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A traditional cache on the Outskirts of Orewa
A small painted snaplock container near the Orewa Sign on the outskirts of the town. This is a good place to park while retrieving my nearby cache k-77 90. Please be careful of the gardens and try not to attract the attention of the locals!
Welcome To Orewa!!
The Orewa – Puhoi area has a long history of human settlement and has been occupied since the first period of Maori settlement that took place approximately 800 years ago. Most settlements were around the Wenderholm Regional Park and Waiwera areas. Orewa was used as a base for fishing and gathering shellfish but it is believed there were no permanent settlements on the flats.
The area was prized for its natural resources, being in close proximity to the Waiwera hot springs, the Mahurangi shark fishing grounds and the Puhoi and Waiwera Rivers - which provided excellent inland access to the pathways that led to the Kaipara. Forestry resources were also abundant. Large totara and kauri were located close to the waters edge and were ideal for the construction of waka.
In the early 1830’s the first Europeans began to visit the area in search of spars for the Royal Navy. The first known contact between the Europeans and local Maori was in 1833 when the Reverend Henry Williams visited the Mahurangi area. Subsequent contacts between local Maori and missionaries over the following ten years resulted in many Maori converting to Christianity. The local chief, Tauhia, was baptised and took the name ‘Te Hemera’.
At the time of first contact between Europeans and Maori the area was occupied by a tribal group known both as Ngati Rongo (a Ngati Whatua hapu) and Te Kawerau, who had taken control of the land in the early 1600’s from the Ngaoho. During the 19th century this group were generally referred to as Ngati Rongo although it was their Kawerau ancestors who gave them mana whenua (ownership rights) to the land.
European settlement began on the 29th June 1863 when 83 young immigrants arrived at Puhoi from Staab, Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) with the promise of a 40-acre land grant for each adult and a 20-acre grant for each child over five years old. Life for the settlers was difficult; the initial ‘settlement’ at Puhoi consisted of two nikau huts surrounded by dense bush. The settlers eked out a living by producing charcoal, fenceposts and firewood for the Auckland market. The threat of starvation was an imminent possibility and may have become a reality were it not for the kindness of Te Hemera who sent punts laden with kumara, peaches and vegetables up the river.
Development in the area accelerated in the 1920’s when speculators began subdividing land at the southern end of Orewa for holiday homes. Advertisements for the sale of land highlighted the “resort feel” and beach environment of Orewa.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre n ynetr ebpx jurer vg vf yrnavat ntnvafg gur gerr
Treasures
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