The cache co-ordinates will take you to the Otago University Clocktower Building. The waypoint co-ordinates will take you to the Otago University Bell. You will need to visit both.
The University of Otago, founded in 1869 by an ordinance of the Otago Provincial Council, is New Zealand’s oldest university. The new university was given 100,000 acres of pastoral land as an endowment and authorised to grant degrees in Arts, Medicine, Law and Music. The University opened in July 1871 with a staff of just three professors.
The University was originally housed in a building (later the Stock Exchange) on the site of John Wickliffe House in Princes Street but it moved to its present site with the completion of the northern parts of the Clocktower in 1878. The impressive Gothic style building was constructed in 1879 and has become a symbol of the Otago University. The complex is the most substantial and best-realised group of Gothic revival buildings in the country. The building was designed by Maxwell Bury (1825 – 1912) which is symmetrical in plan but late Gothic in its realisation.
The bell was ordered for the city in 1863, and was initially part of the New Zealand Exhibition in 1865, before being moved to the post office building in Princess Street in 1868. The building housed the University of Otago from 1871 to 1877, before being sold to the colonial bank and later the Dunedin Stock Exchange. After the demolition of the stock exchange building in 1969, the bell disappeared into obscurity until resurfacing to be place in the Meridian mall food court in 1997.
When it was discovered that this was the old university bell, permission was asked for it to be returned to the university. The bell was returned in 2019 as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations.
A new tradition was established in 2019 whereas PhD students who have submitted their thesis for examination, are given the opportunity to ring the Clocktower Bell. I have place this virtual geocache here to showcase a beautiful part of Dunedin and to commemorate my own recent celebration.
To qualify for this geocache your tasks are:
1. At the cache co-ordinates there are large flowerpots, email/message me what type (or colour if you aren't sure) of flowers are currently planted in these flowerpots.
2. At the waypoint, stand with your back facing the bell and look across at the set of stairs which can be seen leading up into the back of the clocktower building. What shapes are engraved into the white stone guardrails and how many shapes are there? Email/message me your answer.
3. At the waypoint take a photo of the bell, including yourself or your GPS in the photo.
4. Log your visit with the photo included in the log. You don’t have to wait for my reply, but if I don’t receive a message with answers to the first two tasks within one month, your log will be deleted.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.