Ninox novaeseelandiae (Wellington) Traditional Cache
beanadventures: Still no sign of Ninox, which is a great pity.
Sorry to archive this one, but it was a one of kind.
Ninox novaeseelandiae (Wellington)
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This cache is on the undulating track through the bush on part of the Tawatawa Reserve. Its a fantastic spot for feeling like you are million miles away from everything, with the bonus of impressive views appearing through the trees every now and again. The logbook is in a bison tube, but the cache itself is a little bigger.
The morepork is New Zealand’s only surviving native owl. Speckled dark brown, with yellow eyes and long tails, they are around 29 centimetres long from head to tail and 175 grams in weight.
Owls would be the perfect geocachers, especially at night. They have soft fringes on the ends of their feathers which makes them the original stealth jets, flying silently through the forest. They also have forward-facing eyes, giving them binocular vision - perfect for swooping on prey/caches.
At dusk, the melancholy sound of the morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae) can be heard in forests and parks as it calls to other moreporks and claims territory. Its European name (morepork), Māori name (ruru) and Australian name (boobook) all echo its two-part cry.
Whilst we don't know if any morepork live here in the Tawatawa Reserve, we live in Island Bay and often hear their calls at night and have even seen them in the garden.
The cache's logbook is in a bison tube - only room for the log. The cache itself long (60cm approx) and thin and is camouflaged. When putting it back please make sure its hidden from the pathway on both sides.
Bring your own pen.
The bottom of the reserve is an off-lead dog walking area - so watch out for dogs and their deposits.
For info on the tracks and reserve : (visit link)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
1. Guvf bjy pbhyq or va n fgvpxl cbfvgvba.
2. Uvqqra sebz ivrj ba gur cngu, ohg va cynva fvtug sebz oruvaq.
3. Yrff guna 3z hc gur fybcr - or pnershy, vg pna or fyvccrel.
4. Svaq gjb cvax znxref ba gur cngu naq lbh ner pybfr.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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