Bridge-it (Bay of Plenty) Multi-Cache
Murray'n'Janet: This was our first cache and it really need to be refreshed so will replace it with something a little better soon.
Bridge-it (Bay of Plenty)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The co-ordinates given are not the location of the cache. They are for the car park.
You will be exploring a lovely park in Kawerau, a pretty town in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island, and situated 100 km south-east of Tauranga and 58 km east of Rotorua.
Kawerau is one of the youngest towns in New Zealand, having been founded in 1953 with the establishment of the Tasman Pulp and Paper Mill. The mill site was chosen because of the ready availability of geothermal energy, water from the Tarawera River and a large supply of pine timber from the nearby Kaingaroa Forest. Unlike most other towns of its size, Kawerau was carefully planned before construction and, although young, from a heritage point of view it is among New Zealand’s most significant, because it exists today largely as when it first came into being.
Built with an impressive number of facilities to accommodate a multinational specialist workforce, the town's population peaked in the early 1980s (8718 in 1981) but has declined significantly since restructuring of the mill and associated industries, and the choice by some employees to live further away.
Kawerau hosts a number of events each year, including the National Woodskills Festival, 'King of the Mountain' Race, Tarawera 100 Motorcycle Endurance Race, Kayaking Championships, Rafting Championships, Kawerau Big 3 Competition (hunting), Bird and Dog Shows, Annual Tarawera Ultramarathon, Great Mid-Winter Half Marathon, as well as National Bowls and Tae Kwon Do events.
The National Woodskills Festival is a competition that encompasses a broad spectrum of wood craftsmanship and wood art by both professionals and amateurs. It was started in Kawerau in 1989 as a local competition and by 1991 had become so popular it was developed into a national event attracting exhibitors from throughout the country. Lots more wood-related events are also held on that weekend which is now known as Kawerau Woodfest.
The Waterwheel Heritage Park is now being developed in Kawerau, on a lovely bend in the river near the mill, to preserve old skills and machinery (from all vocations) as public treasures.
The cache is in Stoneham Walk which is only a hop, skip and a jump from the town centre. It’s a pretty walk beside the beautiful crystal-clear Ruruanga Stream, past a rose garden and a herb garden and over a stone bridge. You will pass through groves of native and exotic trees and shrubs, past places where trout can be caught by children under 14 years, and lovely picnic spots and swimming holes that are quite shallow but always bracing. All of the bridges were built by Rotary members, over the years. The park is a favourite venue for photographers.
Allow an hour to complete this hunt. Consider bringing your swimming gear for a swim in the hot pools and feel free to use the gas BBQ there for a small price. There is also a BMX track and a Mountain Bike track up the hill to be tried out.
Behind the bowling club A = the number of vertical palings on the side of bridge less 42 (don’t count the ends of the rail)
Go through the 5 large poplars and B = the number of waste water pipes from the pools plus 4.
Cross to the BMX Track where C = the year sulphur mining stopped less 1887
D = number of balls on swimming pool mural less 4
Travelling west, cross two roads and continue upstream.
E = the number of stumps near the stone bridge plus 3.
The cache is at S38 AB.ACD E176 ED.EAC
All that is left to do now is follow your GPS and, of course, enjoy the walk.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vg'f nyy va gur snzvyl