Please bring your own pen!
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!
Plants: Ferns, kowhai, Rimu, horopito and flax
Ferns: mostly found in moist areas because their main source of energy comes from water.
Kowhai: the kowhai can grow 25m tall. Kowhai grows in a range of different habitats. Kowhai are also a good food source for Tui, Bellbird, Kaka and the NZ Pigeon, Kereru.
Rimu: They can grow to be as tall as 50 or 60 meters tall! The seeds then grow on a small cone that has a red fleshy fruit attached to a small black seed. These seeds are only produced every 5 to 6 years.
Horopito: Horopito, or Mountain Pepper tree, is found in wet upland forests throughout many of New Zealand's mountains. It is one of New Zealand's most unpalatable plants, as its leaves contain a chemical that leaves a peppery taste and burning sensation when chewed.
Flax: Flax has an erect stem with multiple branches on top of the plant. It can reach 91.4cm in height. Flax has a strong taproot that can grow to the depth of 110cm. Flax produces simple, lanceolate leaves with smooth edges. Just like people, the progeny of two flax bushes may have different characteristics from their parents! Seedlings also take longer to mature, about 6–8 years. Plants grown from root stock take about half that time.
We have included a painted rock for the first finder to keep, or rehide in another cache.
To access, drive up the Fisher's Road track. Park in the parking area just before the gates. You can access the Tupapakurua Falls track from here.