Tap Mun Island
Tap Mun, also known as Grass Island, is an island in Hong Kong, located in the northeastern part of the territory. Its area is 1.69 km². Administratively, it is part of the Tai Po District. There are about 100 people living on the island.
The name (in Chinese "Tap" means pagoda and "Mun" means door) was given because of the many large rocks lying along the coastal line, emulating many pagodas guarding the water entrance to the Hong Kong territories.
Around the anchorage of the island a small town started to develop in the early 18th century, at that time also some of the existing temples were constructed: the Tin Hau temple was built in 1737, the nearby Shui Yuet Kung (lit: Water Moon Temple) which is dedicated to Kwun Yam and the earth god was built in 1788.
At its peak, Tap Mun had 2,000 residents. However, many moved to the city centre to live. Now many residents run stores or restaurants for local tourists visiting the island. Due to the population outflow, the last school on the island closed down in 2003. The former school building is a now a Grade III historical building.
Mau Ping Shan
Tap Mun is mostly flat, and is very suitable for a relaxed stroll as there are no steep slopes or high peaks to climb. It is a famous place for overnight camping (there is no official camp site but the local cows keep the grass nice and short). The island is also home to a number of feral cattle, their dung can be found everywhere. So mind your step.
The cache is hidden near the highest point of Tap Mun, just 125m above the sea. From up here you have a panoramic view of the surroundings:
- North: Port Island, and in the distance lies Double Haven.
- East: the islet of Kung Chau, also called "Lion Rolling a Ball" as it resembles such a scene. Use your imagination!
- South: Tap Mun and across the water lies Ko Lau Wan.
- West: Wan Tsai peninsula.
Getting there.
Tap Mun can be reached by regular ferry services, from either Ma Liu Shui pier or from Wong Shek pier. The trails leading to the hill are mapped in OpenStreetMap.
Islands Hopping
This cache is part of the "Island Hopping" caches, the log book contains an "island hopping" code. Write down this code; when you have them all you can go for the bonus cache.
The other caches in this series are:
GC45HYH Cheung Chau Views II
GC3228D Lamma Island - Tung O Beach
GC3G5T3 Lamma Island - Ling Kok Shan
GC3G5T4 Lamma Island - Mt Stenhouse
GC3228E Tung Lung Chau
GC34Q9E Tai Lei
GC374R6 Po Toi Island - Palm Rock
GC374R7 Po Toi Island - Mo's Old House
GC374R8 Po Toi Island - Nam Kok Tsui
GC37RZX Tap Mun Island - Lung Keng Kan
GC38J1C Island Hopping - Bonus
Note: you need only one cache per island; different caches on the same island contain the same code.