Eatwell Reserve is a little known reserve bordered by Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club and Callender Terrace to the north and by Eatwell and Gray Avenues to the south. The reserve consists of two main areas, a large grassed area to the south and a much smaller planted area to the north separated by the Tikotu Stream. The larger area has taken on many roles over the years including once containing a huge adventure playground until it was deemed unsafe and dismantled, through to being a regular cross-country running venue for Paraparaumu Beach School which is located just down the road. I grew up not far from this place and spent my fair share of time playing here with the other local kids. Back in those days I could have easily named every family whose section backed onto this reserve. The smaller area to the north has limited access via a locked gate and has over the last five years been beautifully replanted with native shrubs and trees by the “Friends of the Tikotu Stream”, an ongoing project spearheaded by local councillor Diane Ammundsen. Access to this northern area is not required to retrieve this cache.
KCDC recently classified this reserve as an “Off Leash” dog Park however at this stage haven’t seen fit to install drinking fountains or dog litter bag dispensers like they have in the Ocean Road dog park. The bonus is that by comparison this park gets very little use so please bring along your four legged friends and let them run amok while you take time out to enjoy the surroundings and retrieve this cache.
Preferred access to the reserve is via Gray Avenue however the reserve can also be accessed via Oakley Court although this is a small retirement settlement so there is no parking and no dogs allowed through this entrance. You should find a nice flat stroll to the cache however due to the low profile nature of the reserve, it quite often gets overlooked by the council’s team of lawn mowers and the grass can get quite long. The Tikotu Stream which runs the length of the reserve is also unfenced so please keep an eye on the kids while you’re there and it’s not the cleanest of streams either so it might pay to keep Rover out of the water so you can avoid that “stinky wet dog” smell on the car ride home.
The log sheet is concealed in a well camouflaged container. The lid of the container is fixed in position so you will have to unscrew the base of the container to access the log sheet. Please be careful when accessing and replacing the container and do not over tighten, so it remains in good working order for all future cachers to enjoy.
You will need to bring a pencil or pen to log your find. Any on-line logs not corresponding with the log sheet will be removed.
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