Smithy's Island (Coromandel) Traditional Cache
Hidden : 8/17/2013
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
3.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Smithy’s Island

 

 

We frequently holiday in this area and have wanted to place a cache on a prominent peninsular overlooking a picturesque island. This island featured in the movie Sleeping Dogs. Unfortunately the peninsular has several grave sites. So, in order to keep the cache off what may be private land we have placed it nearby, but still with a view of the island. We suggest once you have found the cache, drive a little further to the next parking lay by and walk up to the top level of the peninsular for a better view of Smithy’s Island and check out the interesting derelict gravesites.

 

Sleeping Dogs is a 1977 film based on the book Smith's Dream by C. K. Stead, and is the first feature film by director Roger Donaldson. Featuring Sam Neill, Clyde Scott and Warren Oates. it is notable for being the first feature length 35 mm film produced entirely in New Zealand.

 

A political thriller with action film elements, it follows the lead character "Smith" (Neill) as New Zealand plunges into a police state as a fascist government institutes martial law after industrial disputes flare into violence. Smith gets caught between the special police and a growing resistance movement and reluctantly becomes involved.

 

Following the break-up of his marriage caused by his wife's affair with another man named Bullen (Mune), "Smith" (Neill) arranges to live on the Coromandel peninsula on an island owned by a Maori tribe. Meanwhile, political tensions escalate as an oil embargo leaves the country in an energy crisis. Tensions boil over into a civil war and guerrilla activity. However, Smith enjoys his peaceful island life and has little interaction with the rest of society.

 

Smith's idyllic life is shattered when a bomb is exploded in a nearby town, and police arrive on his island to arrest him and search for illegal weapons. After they find a cache of explosives that Smith had been unaware of, he is taken to a police station where he is imprisoned, interrogated and tortured. He recognises one policeman as a former schoolmate, Jesperson (Clyde Scott) who then takes over the interrogation. Jesperson reveals that the Government regard Smith as a key leader of the guerrillas and offers expulsion from New Zealand in return for a confession, or alternatively trial by a military tribunal with a likely death sentence.

 

During a prison transfer, Smith deliberately forces himself to vomit to confuse his captors and escapes. He then flees the city, finding work at a small camping ground and love with a local girl. Happy to be outside the civil war again he blends in until a US army unit arrives and takes over the camping ground. Smith clashes with the commander of the US forces Willoughby (Oates) and is suspected of being a rebel sympathiser. The arrival of Bullen (who is now a senior leader of the underground guerrilla movement) complicates matters further. As the US forces capture and kill more rebels, Smith is unwillingly drawn into participating in an attack on the military unit by Bullen.

 

Fleeing the scene of the successful attack, Smith and Bullen are pursued by Government forces and cornered in a nearby forest. After Government forces surround the guerrillas and bomb their encampment, Smith and Bullen escape, only to be cornered by Jesperson and his elite squad. After Bullen is fatally wounded, Smith, wishing an end to what is happening, deliberately provokes Jesperson into shooting him.

 

The scene in which Sam Neill ("Smith") escapes the police van and runs off into the crowded street was filmed without formal permission from the police. When Neill's stunt double ran from the van, an off-duty police officer tackled him, mistaking the stuntman for a real criminal attempting to escape custody. The stuntman had to point out the camera crew to get the officer to release him.

 

In the scene where Warren Oates steps out of his jeep and meets "Smith", he is actually holding a page of the script, fearing that he'd forget the lines. Oates acted as if the paper was a list of directions to the hotel.

 

The riot scenes in which police with batons and shields beat back protestors closely mirrored actions of police and protestors four years later during the 1981 South African National Rugby team, the Springboks' tour in New Zealand, which sparked anti-apartheid protests.

 

Of interest is that the then Prime Minister of New Zealand demanded a private viewing of the movie, before it’s general release to the public.

 

Cache contained on placement:  Logbook and a few swaps, and a pair of tweezers for those horrible little nano caches. Bring your own pen.

 

Also for the first to find this cache, there is an FTF Geocoin. This FTF Geocoin should be placed in a new cache.

 

Congratulations to Paritu Pirate and No Fixed Aboder for the FTF. We think we spotted your car in the lay-by, when we were on our way further North, to pick up some of your caches.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Abg @ TY

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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