Hicks Bay First (East Cape) Traditional Cache
FXGCH: It need some maintenance
Hicks Bay First (East Cape)
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Hicks Bay is 186km from Gisborne and 150km from Opotiki. The cache location is off SH35 at the end of Wharf Rd. Access easy and even child friendly, but beware of the many muggles.
Hunt with great stealth, please.
Hicks Bay is also known as Wharekahika and has been occupied for perhaps 1000 years.
On 31 October 1769 when Captain James Cook in 'Endeavour' travelled around East Cape, some distance from the shore, Lieutenant Zachariah Hicks sighted a bay. Captain Cook 'named Hick's Bay because Lieutenant Hicks was the first who discoverd it'. Haupara Point was not clearly seen, so for many years the coastline from Awatere River in the east to Matakaoa Point in the west was known as Hicks Bay.
The volcanic rocks which form the peaks around Hicks Bay and west towards Cape Runaway are named the Matakaoa volcanics and erupted under the sea before being uplifted. Two well-preserved marine benches on Matakaoa Point provide evidence of recent uplift. Limestone and grey papa containing shell fossils occur throughout the district.
There are numerous historic pa sites in the Hicks Bay region and many have excavated fortifications. They are in varying states of preservation and differ greatly in size. During the Hauhau uprising of the 1860s several of the pa sites on Matakaoa Point were modified for gun fighting.
The derelict remains of the freezing works at the western end of the bay recalls the days of intensive coastal shipping before the road was developed. Farmers of the area started their own company in 1919 but the actual building was not completed until the Gisborne Sheepfarmers Frozen Meat Company took over in 1920. Six permanent works houses were built while other workers lived in tents. Initially the works boilers were wood fired and the supplying of firewood created employment for many locals. However with the opening of the wharf in 1925 and the easy delivery of coal, the works became coal fired. Initially all goods were taken by dray to a surf boat which transported them out to the steamer in the bay, but once the wharf was completed a small loco transported the frozen carcases to the steamer. Road access to the area was primitive so all stock came by foot, some from as far away as Tikitiki and arrived in poor condition, so due to inadequate supplies of suitable livestock the freezing works closed in 1926. Coastal ships continued to service Hicks Bay until the 1950s.
The Wharekahika area with its mild climate and beautiful beaches has much to offer. For the fisherman there is beach fishing, boat fishing, rock fishing and scuba fishing around the many rocky ledges. The hard sand beaches allow easy boat launching while swimming here is safe.
The cache is a sneaky nano with only a log sheet. Please bring your own pen and please replace correctly and with great stealth.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Guerr vafgrnq bs gjb… naq zntargvp
Treasures
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