Nevis Bluff & Rapids (Central Otago) Traditional Cache
Guzzi Riders: as transit have changed guard rails and easy access to view the rapids, i have decided to archive this cache. once a cycle trail passes this way it may be safe to place another cache.
farewell to an interesting location.
Nevis Bluff & Rapids (Central Otago)
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Park, then less than 200 metre walk to cache site where the view is well worth the walk up and down. Up of the Nevis Bluff and down of the Kawarau River Rapids. Some call them the Nevis Bluff Rapids.
Park at S45 02.250 E169 00.372 on the left heading towards Queenstown then cross the road to walk to the GZ facing the oncoming traffic. There is enough room to walk safely. There is a RISK of rocks falling on you just as there is a risk of a branch falling on you walking through a forest. There is a RISK of you slipping and falling down towards the rapids just as there is a risk of you tripping on a tree root in a forest. You need to decide if you want to take this risk before stopping. After heavy rain or snow the risk would increase. This cache is often not available. The Nevis Bluff has an annual check for loose rocks and a water blast etc. The area is controlled by these works and the cache is then not available. At the western end of the Kawarau Gorge, midway between Cromwell and Queenstown, the highway passes the Nevis Bluff, a steep schist rock outcrop rising 100 m above the Kawarau River. The highway has a history of being disrupted and closed at this point due to instability and rock falls from the bluff. The first road around the bluff was constructed in 1866, opening access to the Wakatipu goldfields. Significant slips occurred at the bluff on 1940-02-20, and blocking SH6 in June 1975. On 17 September 2000, a large-scale rock fall buried the highway at the bluff, and several motorists narrowly avoided being killed. The fall was caught on video and showed a volume of 10,000 m³ for the main fall; the resulting dust cloud was seen 5 km away. Transit New Zealand conducted stabilisation drilling and blasting at the bluff twice in 2006 and again in 2007. These drilling holes can be seen as lines on the rock face across the road. Taking care, it's worth the view down towards the river to see the rapids. Really all you need to know is that it is a classic New Zealand big water phenomenon. A high volume river gets squeezed through a gorge and mayhem ensues. The guide book calls it a 6- just about totally unrunable. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158397678595553&id=797720552&_rdr It's a big fast rapid that is a wild ride. Many nay-sayers will say that if you're planning on running Nevis Bluff you "just want to scare yourself." The rapid was attempted several times over many years before the first successful decent. Standing on the side of the river I have huge respect to those people who decided to go first. When retrieving the cache please ease out past the two posts and insert back in lid first in a horizontal position.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vafvqr gur oneevre