GC4Y4W2 Bethune's Gully to Mt Cargill (Traditional Cache) in South Island, New Zealand created by Team Ribeiro (maintained by hinemoana)

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A cache by Team Ribeiro (maintained by hinemoana) Message this owner

Hidden : 2/5/2014

Difficulty:

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Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Mount Cargill, known in Māori as Kapukataumahaka, is a 676-metre-high (2,218 ft) volcanic outcrop which dominates the skyline of northern Dunedin, New Zealand. It is situated some 15 kilometres (9 miles) north of the city centre.

The peak is named for Captain William Cargill, an early leader of the Province of Otago. It is one of the youngest parts of the massive extinct Dunedin shield volcano and was formed some 10 million years ago.

From the summit, views can be obtained of the entire Dunedin urban area, as well as a considerable stretch of open countryside and much of Otago's coastline, from Shag Point near Palmerston to Nugget Point in The Catlins. Particularly notable is the view of the Otago Peninsula and Otago Harbour, the entire length of which can be seen from the summit.

To the northeast of Mount Cargill's peak are several smaller peaks including Mount Zion, Mount Holmes and (most notably) Buttar's Peak. Dunedin sits beneath the snowy mid-winter slopes of Mt. Cargill in this photo from July 2007.

Māori legend tells of the mountain showing the profile of a prominent warrior, and indeed from Dunedin Buttar's Peak and Mount Cargill between them do form the outline of a reclining figure, with Buttar's Peak being the head and Mount Cargill the body.

A rough road from the end of Pine Hill Road provides vehicular access to the summit, and several walking tracks also lead to the top, notably a 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) walk from Bethune's Gully in North East Valley at the northern end of Dunedin's urban area and a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) walk though Graham's Bush, which starts in Sawyers Bay close to Port Chalmers. These tracks pass through regenerating native bush and volcanic outcrops before a sharp climb along the northern flank immediately below the summit.[2]

The tracks pass two significant points of interest. One of these is a prominent formation of columnar jointed basalt known as the Organ Pipes. Similar outcrops are found elsewhere in the Dunedin area, at Blackhead near Waldronville and at Second Beach, Saint Clair. The second point of interest is the small temperate cloud forest which dominates the vegetation of the upper slopes. Though not a true cloud forest, in that it is not tropical, it bears many of the hallmarks of true cloud forest, with abundant moss and fern cover under thick low canopy.

The cloud forest is protected within a 1.8-square-kilometre (0.69 sq mi) reserve, which includes the peak of the mountain as well as several secondary peaks. Although the tracks are easy (but steep), care should be taken by walkers, as the weather conditions on Mount Cargill are notoriously unpredictable and can change very rapidly.

Bethune's Gully is notable geological feature of northern Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the suburb of Normanby towards the northern end of North East Valley. It preserves a number of acres of very old-growth forest and a large stand of exotic Douglas fir, and is an ecosystem directly below the cloud forest on the upper slopes of Mount Cargill.

The gully was formed by the upper reaches of Lindsay Creek, a tributary of the Water of Leith which flows along North East Valley. The gully is surrounded by a 86-hectare (210-acre) reserve and recreational area at the start of walking and trail-biking tracks which lead up the slopes of Mount Cargill, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to the north. The most notable of these is a 2-hour round trip walk which leads to the Cargill's summit, a rise of 580 metres (1,900 ft), which was opened in 1981.[1] In 1996 Bethune's Gully was the venue for the New Zealand national mountain-biking championships.

Biking tracks were extended after the championships and were opened to the public in 2003. Nearby Forrester Park, on Norwood Street, is home to the city's main BMX circuit. The reserve was named for David Bethune, who took over the property in 1878, setting up a sawmill and brick kiln. The property fell into disuse after it was sold by Bethune, only to be redeveloped by J. B. Thompson immediately after World War I and leased to the Dunedin City Council. It became city property after Thompson's death in 1955.

The Gully is reached by Cluny Street, a short paved road off Normanby's Norwood Street, beyond which Norwood Street passes through a narrow cutting before emerging in open countryside.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Cargill

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

fcbvyre

Decryption Key

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

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)