The Location:
The cache is close to trig station 8301, Climie No 2 on top of Mt Climie at altitude 862 metres above sea level. The hilltop is home to a variety of microwave radio links that are part of the national backbone for television, telephone and data communications, and there is a good 4-wheel drive access road up to it from the Tunnel Gully area near Te Marua. There is an amateur radio repeater at the site also.
View from close to cache site overlooking Mangaroa Valley with Upper Hutt in the distance
View along the 4WD road towards the summit of Mt Climie
The Cache:
The cache is a two litre plastic snaplock container, with a one litre container inside it containing logbook, pencil and sharpener, and one or two other goodies. You can get to the cache either on foot or by mountain bike up the 4 wheel drive road used for access to the various radio installations on the mountain. The starting point is at the carpark at Tunnel Gully, near Te Marua - there is a locked gate there preventing vehicular access up the road but public access is permitted. The way is well signposted, and you will see a few signposted side tracks as you continue up the hill. Just stick to the road and you'll go straight there. The gradient is uphill all the way and quite relentless, you are climbing 680 metres in a a distance along the road of around 5.5 kilometres. The road takes you through native bush almost all the way, with beech forest predominating. Towards the top you will enter "goblin forest" with lots of moss and lichen hanging from the larger trees, and then when you get near the radio installations you will emerge above the snowline and the vegetation will be mainly tussock with a bit of stunted beech forest. If you're reasonably fit, it should take you around an hour and a half excluding stops to reach the cache site.
Caveats:
- Beware the temperature changes with altitude. Unless you have a perfectly calm sunny day it may be warm at the start, but it will be a lot colder up here and far more exposed to the wind. At certain times of the year there will be a decent covering of snow here as well. For your own safety, take plenty of warm clothing including woolly hat and gloves - we needed those when placing the cache! And do check the weather forecast before you start out!
- Make sure you take food and water with you, and a first-aid kit in case of problems.
- Keep an eye out for mountain bikers coming downhill, they may be going fast!
- Cellphone coverage is good all the way if you're with Telecom, it may be a bit patchy in places with the other providers.