- At the front of the sign, use the largest "font" words only.
Question 1: What is the first and last words?
- Attached to the right post for this sign (behind) is a small green tag, engraved on it are 6 numbers.
Question 2: What are these 6 numbers?
These two answers need to be sent to rustynz via the message centre or as an email through your geocaching.com profile page (Please do not post these answers in your found it log).
Those caching in a group, each Cacher needs to send their own message/email with the answers (PART A), and attach their own photo's (PART B) to the "found it" log.
PART B
Take a photo (one photo per location) at any of the listed locations and earn a total of 15 photo points.
Each photo is worth points, see "Additional Waypoints" (Reference Points) for photo locations and points.
Once you have 15 photo points, include each location photo with your "found it" log.
You may need to visit multiple locations along the road to earn enough photo points.
It is your choice as to which locations to visit, for example:
- Silica Rapids 10 pts + Mounds Walk 5 pts = 15 points
- Taranaki Falls 10 pts + Tawhai Falls 5 pts = 15 points
- Meads Wall 5 pts + Whakapapa Nature Walk 5 pts + Knoll Ridge Chalet 5 pts = 15 points
- Skyline Trail = 15 points
All photo locations are accessible from SH48 or the Bruce Road (Trailhead waypoints for each photo location have been included on this cache page).
If you are limited to one photo when logging from phone, you can log in browser, which allows more photo's to be uploaded.
Once you have sent me the above answer (PART A), log the find, include the photo's (PART B) in your log (check that they have earned the required points).
BOTH OF THESE REQUIREMENTS NEED TO BE MET,
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DO THIS
ANY FOUND IT LOGS CAN / WILL BE DELETED
TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK VIRTUAL BADGE
<p><a href="www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC9P7GQ" target="_blank"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/2a6e3839-0344-432a-8de0-f3be235b6c32.png" /></a></p>
Above is an example of the Badge that you can collect for your Geocaching Profile page:
- To add this badge to your profile page, copy the above code
- Open "Your Public Profile" in your geocaching.com account page
- Click "Edit"
- Copy and paste the Badge code into "About" and then "Save Changes"
- The Badge above should now appear on your Profile Page
To find out more about the park, attached are two editions of the DOC booklet: Walks in and around Tongariro National Park 2015 and 2022
For Lord of the Rings Locations DOC has created this website, click here: LOTR
Whakapapa village is the gateway to adventure:
- Walks range from 10 minutes to multi-day hikes
- The Visitor Centre has interactive displays, information panels and a movie theatre to explore
- Take a seat and watch a sunrise or sunset over the Mountains
- In winter ski-ing, snow boarding and snow play
- Hire a bike, and cycle down the Bruce road
- Search the night sky: Milky Way, Southern Cross and Matariki (Pleiades, Subaru, Mao, Krittika)
- Have a High Tea or a coffee at the Pinnacles cafe after a ride on the Sky Waka Gondola
- See the Lord of the Rings film locations (Whakapapa ski-field/The land of Mordor, Meads Wall/Emyn Muil, Tawhai falls/Gollums pool, Mount Ngāuruhoe/Mount Doom)
- Or perhaps stop, chill and enjoy the view!
Mount Ruapehu the North Island’s highest mountain
This is an area of Volcanic activity:
Mount Ruapehu (2797m) is a stratovolcano, or composite volcano built of alternating layers (strata) of lava flows, ash, scoria and other volcanic rocks.
Mount Tongariro (1978m) is a multiple stratovolcano, it has multiple vents and craters.
Mount Ngāuruhoe (2291m) geologically is part of Mount Tongariro, but visually appears as a separate mountain.
A BRIEF HISTORY AND TIMELINE:
1894 - Tongariro National Park created
1920 – Whakapapa Cottage/Hut built (was located near the Chateau)
1923 – New Zealand’s first ski club hut: Glacier Hut was built by the Ruapehu Ski Club at Hut Flat
1925 – Road access to Whakapapa created via Bruce Road
1929 – Chateau Tongariro construction commences, and building completed
1930 – Bruce Road extended to above the Chateau Tongariro
1934 – Bruce Road Extended to Lower Scoria Flat
1940 – Bruce Road completed to where it now ends at the Top o' The Bruce
1945 - Eruption: Mt Ruapehu
1953 - Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) was formed
1953 - Tangiwai train disaster caused by a lahar from crater lake Mt Ruapehu
1954 - First chairlift in New Zealand installed at Whakapapa
1954 - Eruption: Mt Ngāuruhoe
1969 - Eruption: Mt Ruapehu
1974 - Eruption: Mt Ngāuruhoe
1975 - Eruption: Mt Ngāuruhoe
1993 - Tongariro National Park became a UNESCO dual World Heritage site (natural & cultural)
1995 – Eruption: Mt Ruapehu
1996 – Eruption: Mt Ruapehu
2000 - Tūroa ski field (owned by Alex Harvey Industries: AHI) merged with RAL
2007 – A lahar from crater lake, Mt Ruapehu flows into the Whangaehu river
2012 - Eruption: Te Maari crater, Mt Tongariro
2019 - Sky Waka gondola opened (cost $25m, climb 390m, length 1.8km, 12 minutes each way)
2022 - Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) put into voluntary administration and facing insolvency
2023 – Chateau Tongariro hotel closes due to cost of earthquake-strengthening
2024 - Pure Tūroa Limited granted a 10-year DOC concession to operate the Tūroa ski-field
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.