Picnic or Camping?
To find this cache you need to walk or cycle along the Rimutaka Rail Trail 7 kms to Ladle Bend, then turn right soon after the bridge at the signpost for the Picnic/Camping area.
Camping on The Rail Trail
There is some designated space for camping at Summit, but the Rimutaka Rail Trail also had a picnic and camping site at Ladle Bend for many years, located just before the bridge above the stream banks in amongst the pine trees that grew there, with small level spaces that could accomodate tents plus some picnic tables / benches. When the pines had matured and needed to be logged, early this century, this camp site was closed.
Once all the logging had been completed a new level site for picnics and camping was cleared where this cache is located.
Unfortunately the new site has no long-drop toilet (unlike the old one), which detracts a bit from its desirability as a spot to stay overnight. So now the only toilets available to campers are 2 long-drops just past the Rail Trail entrance car park (7 kms away) and 2 flushing toilets at Summit (3.5 kms away).
Whilst the new camping area is kept gorse free, the surrounds are completely overgrown with gorse that has reclaimed the land since the logging operations were completed. The camp site has a couple of circles of rocks where you can light fires when there are no fire restrictions, provided you can find some firewood, and has one picnic table and bench for your use. Water can be obtained a minute's walk away down at the nearby stream, a very pleasant spot to while away hot summer afternoons.
The Cache
The cache is a 200 ml Sistema, big enough to take small trade items, trackables or Geocoins. The current cache is the second one and is in a slightly different place from the original, which got muggled around the New Year 2014. At time of placement it only contained a log sheet. Please bring your own writing implement. Found logs online that are not also in the written log will be removed unless you provide other evidence that you really did find the cache (e.g. a photo of the cache, but don't show its actual location).
When replacing the cache after signing the log please remember to replace it exactly how you found it.