After the death of Johnny Mansel in the 1962 race there was a break in racing on Dunedin streets until a one-off event in 1965. It used a circuit that was only used once, for this event.
The map the cache owner has of this circuit does not mark the start/finish line or the direction of the circuit. However, a photo the CO has seen showing racing cars exiting the railway yard overbridge onto Roberts Street with the Chief Post Office building in the background suggests it ran clockwise. However, if anyone can confirm the exact location of the start/finish could they please let the CO know and they will update this page.
However, as the circuit was called the Cumberland Circuit let’s assume it started on Cumberland Street. From this assumed point the circuit ran up Cumberland Street and turned hard left onto Police Street before an immediate hard right onto Vogel Street followed by another hard right onto the railway yard overbridge. This bridge no longer exists, having been replaced by a newer structure. However, the old abutments still stand on Vogel Street and Roberts Street so it is possible to know exactly where the circuit ran. Leaving the bridge on Roberts Street there was a hard right and then a left veer onto Wharf Street. The circuit then turned right onto Strathallan Street, right onto Andersons Bay Road and then a right veer back onto Cumberland Street.
As with the previous circuits, this one-off layout can still be walked or driven with only a small deviation to allow for the bridge change.
This circuit was only used once before the whole Dunedin street race idea was consigned to the “too hard” basket. That was until 1984 however and we shall pick up on that in the next cache in the series (Dunedin Street Circuit 1984 & '86) when racing returned to a circuit that looked suspiciously like the original 1950s track.
Micro container so BYOP. If you visit during working hours there will almost certainly be unseen eyes in nearby buildings who may be watching you- not to mention all the cars coming past! The hide is quite straightforward so you shouldn't need to look too suspicious by searching high and low for ages. Could be a good cache to apply the good old shoelace trick! The difficulty rating reflects the need for stealth rather than the difficulty of locating the cache. There is no parking at GZ. Please resist the temptation to park in the driveway as I suspect it is in use 24/7 and parking there will only attract attention to you.
(Note: due to repeated muggling the cache that covers the 1954-58 races has been archived but can still be viewed at GC5TMCT. Similarly, the cache covering the 1960-62 circuit has been archived but the cache page, with its information about the circuit, is still available for viewing at GC5TPEA. The 1984 and '86 cache has also been archived but the cache page, with its information, can be viewed at GC5YF0. And the '89 to '07 cache is now also archived but the info on the cache page can still be viewed at GC5YEVE)