Prior to the building of the New Plymouth Power Station, as a kid I had come here fishing once with Dad. He used to fish here often, as it was a great surfcasting spot for snapper. In fact the remaining high point near GZ is the landward end of what used to be called "Fishing Rock". Fishing Rock was actually two additional tidal islands between Mikohahi island and Paritutu. They were both destroyed by the Harbour Board who operated a quarry near here to supply hard rock for the construction of the original breakwater and wharf approaches. Attempts were also made to quarry the harbour side Paritutu but that rock was off poor quality. The last vestiges of Fishing Rock, according to my father's recollection stretched as a tidal promontory towards Mikotahi, but after a number of fisher's deaths from being washed off towards high tide it was dynamited away in the 1950's. And then around 1970 the bay was reclaimed for the building platform of the New Plymouth Power Station, and everything changed down here. The last remaining remnant of Fishing Rock is known colloquially as White Rock.
Recently from on top of nearby Paritutu (GCBE48) I saw a number of fishers down here at low tide, and wondered how they had got here.
This cache has been placed as an incentive to visit. You may even want to throw a fishing line in the water off the rocks. I've seen fishers here near high tide, but it's truly a nice place to visit at low tide.
You'll see fur seals frolicking in the power station intake channel, or sunning themselves on the nearby rocks. You may see quite a number in the 'den' between White Rock and the intake channel. Between August and November they come ashore to nurture their pups. The 'den' is one such place.
DO NOT ENDANGER YOURSELF BY APPROACHING THE 'LIONS'. The bulls are very dangerous, as are the cows if you approach them or any pups. These 'lions' stink, so use your nose to indicate one is close to your position and avoid it.
You should be able to approach GZ without encountering a 'lion'. There is no need to enter the Lion's den to grab the cache, as it is placed beside the track on the eastern side of White Rock about 10m above the den.
It would be really nice if we could practice CITO here too, as fishers are sometimes lazy leavers of rubbish. There's a metre high concrete pipe that looks like a rubbish bin, but of course the only way that 'bin' will be emptied is by helicopter. It'd be nice to take a rubbish bag with you and bring out a bagful of rubbish. Careful it is smelly! being old fish bait packets, bottles and other rubbish from a day's fishing. Thank you on behalf of Mother Nature and the Environment.
26/04/2015: As part of collecting the Geocaching Global Cleanup CITO 2015 souvenir a few of us attacked the rubbish here. I'm especially pleased we emptied The Lion's Den of all its rubbish. Someone has dumped a large rock in the concrete 'rubbish bin' and we added more rocks so now there's no room for rubbish.
04/12/2022: The “bin” is full of fisher’s rubbish again. So not good, and smelly.