This cache is on the northern loop of the Tongariro River Trail. A brochure showing the trail's 15km route and points of interest can be picked up at the Information Centre in town.
To get to there, the closest track access points are at the Tongariro River/SH1 Bridge and at the Major Jones swingbridge at the end of Koura St. Either way, this well-graded track takes you up and over the hill above the river and offers superb views of Mt Pihanga, Tongariro River, Turangi township, Maunganamu, the steaming hills above Waihi, and Lake Taupo. It's well worth the exercise on an ordinary day; outstanding on a crisp, clear, blue-sky day.
The whole northern loop of the River Trail only takes about 1 hour to walk but as a result of the track upgrade in 2013, it can also be ridden by mountain-bike. Starting at the Major Jones bridge and heading north along the east side of the river, the track up the hill is quite comfortably rideable whereas in the opposite direction (uphill and south from the SH1 bridge), the steepness of the zig-zag track makes it much more of a gut-busting ascent.
In late autumn and early winter when conditions are right, (such as when field mushrooms appear), a beautiful and delicate creamy-white basket fungus can be seen along the sides of the track if the Broom and other scrub has been cut back. It is a saprobic species of the fungus Ileodictyon cibarium in the Phallaceae family. It is endemic to New Zealand where it is commonly known as the Basket Fungus or the White Basket Fungus, referring to the fruiting bodies that are shaped like a round or oval ball with interlaced or latticed branches. These moist, rubbery and almost weightless baskets are remarkably strong and flexible in their natural living state but soon dry out and wither away if removed, so it's best just to admire them in their natural environment.
GZ is just up the bank from the track near its highest point, about 30m south of a wooden seat and just a metre or two from the path. The bank is not steep at GZ but it will be prone to erosion until the trees get more established so please take care not to damage the bank. Also, do NOT venture over the low side of the track – the cache is not there and there is a 40m drop more or less straight down the bank into the river so DO NOT MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF ON THIS HILL!
The cache is a small plastic snap-lock (about 100ml) containing just a waterproof log sheet so you'll need to BYO pen. Please use stealth here to avoid as much as possible being 'caught in the act' by muggles, and please return the cache carefully so that it remains out of sight.