Alkitraz (Auckland) Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This beautiful Gulf Island has been opened to the public after 100 years. It is well worth a visit.
Cache contains a logbook and pencil and several trade items.
Rotoroa Island is an island to the east of Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf. It covers 82 hectares. The Salvation Army purchased it for £400 in 1908 from the Ruthe family to expand its alcohol and drug rehabilitation facility at nearby Pakatoa Island. Men were treated at Home Bay at Rotoroa, while women were treated at Pakatoa. The treatment facility was closed in 2005.
The island was leased from the Salvation Army in February 2008 by Neal and Annette Plowman, who formed a trust to create a conservation park on the island. They have begun a revegetation project which will eventually include 400,000 native plants. The chapel, schoolhouse and jail have been restored and a visitor centre has been built. They gifted the island to Auckland in February 2010 and it was opened on 26 February 2011.
360 Discovery Cruises travel four times weekly from downtown Auckland. Ferries depart at 9am on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Ferries depart Rotoroa for Auckland at 3pm.
Alternately arrive at Rotoroa by private boat and anchor at Home Bay or any of the other beautiful beaches on the island. If coming by your own boat, a $5 per person entrance fee is appreciated and goes towards meeting the island's operating expenses.
Food is not available for sale on the island. There are no rubbish facilities. Changing sheds, historic buildings and the exhibition centre are open 10am - 5pm most days. We recommend you wear sturdy footwear for the gravel roads and tracks, pack sunblock and togs.
Barbeques, toilets and fresh water are all accessible from Home Bay, the island's main settlement. Mobile phone coverage is excellent on the island.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Rawbl gur ivrj, gura urnq gbjneqf gur qrnq prager sbe n phc bs gv.
Treasures
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