In the ‘70s and ‘80s “Mr Alley’s” was a shortcut used by schoolchildren to cut 15 or 20 minutes off the walk or cycle home. It was a muddy track between the Hutt River-side bush and the densely tree-filled orchard belonging to “Mr Alley”. At this time the River-road wasn’t there, and the track linked Ebdentown Street with Henry Street.
For some young children “Mr Alley’s” seemed a scarey & dangerous place after older kids had frightened them with the warning that “Mr Alley will get you!” There were also the seasonal concerns of dive-bombing magpies protecting their nests. For others “Mr Alley’s” involved picking fruit from the fruit trees in the orchard, and eating cookies baked by Mrs Alley.
The “alley way” track from those days ran in a half-circle through the sub-divided properties closest to the river, not where the current alley-way does. Many of the large trees and fruit trees on the adjacent properties appear to be from the original “Alley” property.
In reality “Mr Alley” was not the scarey bogeyman made out by those older kids … the truth was far more interesting :
Geoffrey Thomas Alley (1903 -1986) :
Geoff Alley was an All Black lock forward on the 1926 tour of Australia and the 1928 All Black tour of South Africa, playing three test matches, and locking the scrum for sixteen other matches (All Black # 327). The 1928 tour was the first by an All Black team to South Africa, and is remembered for the omission of the Maori All Black George Nepia.
In later life Alley became an adult educator and New Zealand’s first National Librarian. He was also the brother of Rewi Alley (the well known authority and writer on China during the Communist revolution, and like his brother heavily involved in education). Alley died in 1986, and at some point the 2 acre Ebdentown property was subdivided.
If any local geo-cachers have memories of “Mr Alley’s” feel free to share them ...
The cache is a cammoed eclipse container, and at time of placing it contained only a logbook.
Please bring your own writing instrument!
Please NOTE that you must sign the log book for each individual cacher. Please take some time before leaving to ensure that the cache is re-hidden exactly as you found it.
Keep an eye out for muggles ... while this location can be quiet, muggles can turn up unexpectedly anytime at GZ ... and the windows have eyes!