Whakawhitiwhiti Pa has a commanding presence in the west of New Plymouth. With its well-defined earthworks it is one of the best preserved of New Plymouth's few remaining pa sites.
Relatively little is known about the pa, although it's thought to date from a turbulant period in the 1700s when the boundary of the Taranaki and Te Ati Awa tribes alternated between Paritutu and the Waiwhakaiho River. Whakawhitiwhiti is the most significant of a series of defensive pa constructed by Taranaki iwi after they had occupied Te Atiawa territory. By about 1770 it appears that Taranaki were prepared to abandon their hold on the area and return peaceably to their original territory.
In December 1859 under the Native Reserves Act, 56 acres, more or less, of Fern Land, on the Omata road, adjoining the estates of Mr W. Bayly and Mr P. Elliot, called Whakawhitiwhiti were sold by public auction.
As New Plymouth grew rapidly in the post-war years many of the pa sites under private ownership were destroyed or badly damaged. In the mid-1960s, as development of the nearby subdivision progressed, concern was raised that the destruction of Whakawhitiwhiti pa was inevitable.
Fortunately a local campaigner championed to save the historic site. As a result, the pa and its surrounds were acquired by the New Plymouth District Council between 1977 and 1988. The site is now known as the Whakawhitiwhiti Pa Historic Reserve, with several access points, and it offers excellent views of the city and the mountain.
The cache is located in the north east corner, top level of Pa site. There is lush grass, a little gorse, a style over the fence at the top of the track from the parking, and a narrow track through the earthworks. You will get very wet from the grass if it has recently rained.
The cache is hidden in plain sight and contains a logbook & pencil with room for small items.