The year 4-8 class at National Park school, called Te Whiowhio and Paretetaitonga, spent five weeks doing lots of learning about geocaching and the geocaching culture. They have created ten geocaches and placed them around the National Park village area. Each cache includes information about an aspect of National Park village life. Please enjoy the mahi (work) they have done, and be sure to leave them a comment on the website!
Where you are standing you can see the highest peak of Mt Ruapehu-Tahurangi. Over the years many people have been inspired by the mountain, including a very famous New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary.
On July 20, 1919, Edmund Percival Hillary was born in Auckland. Hillary was a very famous New Zealander who was the first to climb Mt Everest. He married June Mulgrew on the 21 December 1989. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II after reaching the top of Everest. On January 11, Hillary died at Auckland City Hospital.
Hillary went on a school trip to Mount Ruapehu and was exposed to climbing for the first time. He is quoted as saying that he "wanted to see the world." He went on to attend Auckland University College, but dropped out after two years.
Hillary and climber Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world (8,848 meters). Climbing Mount Everest was a challenge that no one had achieved back then. The climbers had to rely on bottled oxygen to achieve the challenge.
It is amazing to think that one of the world's most famous mountaineers had his first experience on our mountain. Enjoy your time in our area and let yourself be inspired by our mountains too.
We have left treasure for the first finders in the form of a picture of the maunga.
Please BYO pen.
***Please take care with the ziplock bag and container, ensuring they are both sealed properly, to keep the log dry.***