Welcome to Ellerslie Racecourse!
The cache is a small camo mint container. Please BYOP, street lighting at night is pretty good but stay safe! Also be aware of the train and motorway overhead! They are quite loud and the train comes on very suddenly and can be frightening. It's a fun scare so should be fine for kids.
A little background on Ellerslie Racecourse:
Ellerslie Racecourse started out as farmland owned by Robert Graham, a supporter of horse racing. He developed both the Alexandra Park Racecourse in Epsom, and the Ellerslie Racecourse, which he ended up selling to the Auckland Racing Club in 1873. On 25th May 1874, the club held their first race meeting at Ellerslie.
The Ellerslie racecourse has since been host to numerous occasions along with horse racing, and is a well-known landmark of Auckland. On the aesthetical appeal of the Ellerslie Racecourse, written in a publication called Auckland Cup History, compiled by E.G. Sutherland, held in Sir George Grey Special Collections, it was noted that,
“It seems worthy of mention that by making Ellerslie attractive the Auckland Racing Club has added to the popularity of the sport. Ellerslie’s attractive outlook has been partly responsible for bringing thousands of visiting racing patrons within its borders to witness the best class of thoroughbreds in action. It’s well laid out floral beds, ponds and large variety of choice trees and palms have drawn kudos from Royalty, Governors, Viceroys, tourists and visitors from all parts of the world.”
The Ellerslie Racecourse was once observed as a considerable distance from Auckland centre, though now it is only a motorway trip away, it once took up to several hours to reach the Ellerslie Racecourse by carriage. This was shortened after the opening of the Ellerslie Racecourse Platform in January 1874. Though to start with, there were not enough carriages to keep up with the demand. The platform later closed in September 1971, though it was originally part of the first railway line in Auckland, the Onehunga line today, which stretched from central Auckland to the suburb of Onehunga.
Ellerslie is home to two of New Zealand’s major racing carnivals – the Summer Carnival and Auckland Cup Week. Also recently held at Ellerslie was the Pop-Up Globe, and the Weber Bros. Circus.
My references (All used 27/07/2017):