Porirua History
(with thanks to Wikipedia)
The name "Porirua" has a Māori origin: it may represent a variant of pari-rua ("two tides"), a reference to the two arms of the Porirua Harbour. In the 19th century the name designated a land-registration district that stretched from Kaiwharawhara (or Kaiwara) on the north-west shore of Wellington Harbour northwards to and around Porirua Harbour. The road climbing the hill from Kaiwharawhara towards Ngaio and Khandallah still bears the name "Old Porirua Road".
In the late 1940s state planning envisaged Porirua becoming a satellite city of Wellington with state housing. The name Porirua was first applied to a council in 1961 when Makara County, to the west of Wellington, was abolished, the mostly rural western part becoming the Makara Ward of Hutt County and the rapidly growing eastern urban portion (including Titahi Bay) becoming the Borough of Porirua. Four years later the population was officially estimated at over the 20,000 threshold then necessary for Porirua to be declared a city. Since then Porirua has grown to a city population approaching 51,000, with state housing no longer in the majority. Major territorial additions to the city occurred in 1973 and 1988 as part of the reduction and eventual abolition of Hutt County.
Porirua is largely formed around the arms of the Porirua Harbour and the coastline facing out to Cook Strait and the north-eastern parts of the South Island. Most of the populated areas of Porirua are coastal: Camborne, Karehana Bay, Mana, Onepoto, Papakowhai, Paremata, Pauatahanui, Plimmerton, Pukerua Bay, Takapuwahia, Titahi Bay and Whitby all have direct access to coastal parks and recreation reserves. Several suburbs without direct coastal access, including Aotea, Ascot Park and Ranui Heights, have substantial portions with good views over the harbour. Elsdon, formerly known as Prosser Block, lost access to the harbour as a result of reclamation work, especially during the 1960s. Much of the existing city centre, north of Parumoana Street and east of Titahi Bay Road, was built upon this landfill.
Battle Hill
On a cold August morning in 1846 the first shot was fired in a confrontation between Government forces and around 300 of Te Rangihaeata’s Ngati Toa near the summit of Battle Hill. Battle Hill Farm Forest Park is a popular recreational area near Porirua. The park is named after Battle Hill, which was the site of a battle between Maori and colonial forces in 1846.
Centred on a working farm, the park includes forestry areas and environmental restoration projects. Activities in the park include walking, horse riding, mountain biking, camping and picnicking. Most tracks in the park are short and fairly easy. For the more adventurous, the Puketiro Loop provides access to the western side of the Akatarawa Forest.
The Cache
You will need to find your way up the Battle Hill History Trail. There are at least three approaches to this cache, and strongly suggest you stay to the formed trail until the end.
You are looking for a small container, an old M&M plastic container, and it will be between 10 and 15 metres off the trail. This is to ensure that it is not stumbled upon by muggles. Please be careful in retrieving and re-hiding the cache so others don't see.
Also make sure that you note the code in the logbook, as you will need this for some of the caches later on in the series.
Note that dogs are not allowed at any time in Battle Hill Farm Park. Access is also limited to generally daylight hours, unless you are staying at the nearby campground.
Bring your own writing utensil. Online logs that do not match the logbook will be deleted unless previously arranged with the CO.