This cache is just off the road from the River road carpark to the Lagoon carpark, there isn’t much room to park along the road so park in the River road carpark and walk down the road, its not far. It’s easier to admire the immense trees around you. There is no track and the trees are tall and thick so gps coverage isn’t as good as it is in the open. But it is only 15-20m off the road.
Three mighty totara lead you to the spot, they stand tall and straight over their fallen brother who by slowly decaying into the soil will be providing nutrients to keep them growing tall and strong.
You can recognise the totara easily from its tall straight trunk, long stringy bark and prickly leaves.
Totara timber was prized above all others by Maori and then later by Europeans, it is light, straight, strong and is resistant to rot. It was used to make waka (canoes), a waka carved from a single log could bear 100 warriors into battle. But it had many other uses in building houses, tools, weapons and to treat a range of ailments from stomach upset to haemorrhoids. The berries are quite tasty too.
The Europeans also used parts of the tree to treat ailments but it was prized for fence posts, railway sleepers and floor pilings due to its ability to resist rot.
The totara from the Whirinaki was thought to be the largest in the country, those mighty trees are mostly gone now, with just a remnant of what was before.
In nature it is a provider of fruit for birds, reptiles and insects and of nest hollows for kaka and kakariki. The Whirinaki is a stronghold for kaka, they come to the podocarp forest every summer and if the fruit is thick then they will breed here in vast numbers and the forest is alive with their raucous calls.
As for Pat, well, he was a really good guy, he came from the West Coast, Hokitika, and connected with the Whirinaki and its people straight away. That connection is now fixed in place and was blessed by a local kaumatua (elder), please be respectful when you visit and leave everything how you found it, except the swappables of course 😊
There is no cell phone reception in the Whirinaki so make sure you download the information you need before you go.