This cache marks a good place to start the Tongariro River Trail, on foot or by bike.
The official start point of the loop walk/bike trail is the Information Centre in the town centre (where you can pick up a brochure showing its route and points of interest) but the location of this cache marks the start of the trail for us. We have been coming here since 1989 when this timeshare resort came into existence, and because of the stewardship of a dedicated owners committee and excellent management it has been a happy holiday destination for us every year since then.
The cache is a small plastic yeast bottle containing just a waterproof log sheet so you'll need to BYO pen. Although it may appear to be on private property, don't let the post-and-chain fence deceive you. It is there to stop horse traffic damaging the council-owned berm. The Lodge's resident managers are supportive of the cache placement and are aware of its location. If they are not too busy, they are happy to guide you in the unlikely event of your geonose (or GPS) letting you down.
Please do not damage any foliage accessing the cache. Branches have been lightly pruned to eliminate the need to bush-bash! Also, please replace the cache carefully out of sight of muggles.
P.S. To start on either the southern or northern loop of the River Trail, leave the car parked here on Taupehi Rd, cross over and walk down Koura Street to the Major Jones swingbridge (or drive down to the fishermen's parking area at the end of Koura St). From here, cross the bridge then turn left for the shorter ~5km 1 hour northern loop (via NIWA Flying Fox GC54GD1 and more ...) or turn right for the longer ~10km 2-3 hour circuit (via herea10's Major Jones's Booty GCWM34 and more …).
As a result of the track improvements completed in 2013, the entire 15km figure-of-8 trail is now also a great recreational-standard mountain-bike trail that can be covered in as much over an hour as you want it to. The only places that can't be ridden are the few steps and/or barriers at the 2 swingbridges.