Churchill Park (Kaikōura) Traditional Cache
Hidden : 7/2/2024
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


This is a simple micro cache to bring you to Churchill Park, a Kaikōura public facility of note that was saved only by concerted citizens' action from becoming a housing area.

View over Churchill Park as it is today, looking north-east.

The park was born from a vision over 100 years ago by Dr Lanktree Withers, the Superintendent of the Kaikōura Hospital, who was inspired by the beauty of the landscape as a catalyst in healing patients. His aim to keep the outlook free of any intrusion came to fruition when the owner put the land up for sale. The local fishermen instigated a move to raise finance, assisted by the Ministry of Works, to purchase the land and for it to be vested in the North Canterbury Hospital Board. It lay virtually undisturbed for 45 years with a gorse hedge enclosing the hospital vegetable garden and a cow paddock. That was until 1965 when NZ Railways made a move to acquire the land for housing, which raised the public ire. The Hospital Board had agreed to the sale, but public pressure won the day and they rescinded their previous motion and decided not to sell.

In 1966 Dr Geoff Gordon called a meeting of like-minded citizens who formed a committee to decide on the development of the area as a public park. To facilitate this the North Canterbury Hospital Board transferred the ownership of the land to the Kaikōura County Council, to be designated as a reserve. The public committee requested that they be given three years to develop the area, thus laying the foundations for the creation of the park. Over the years there have been several unsuccessful moves to alter the intended use for adverse purposes, but the will of the people has prevailed and the park is now a scenic asset to the town.

A bronze plaque commemorating Dr Geoff Gordon (1923-2002) "who helped save this park from a housing development" can be found near the road opposite the hospital main entrance.

Signboard in park with a great view of the Seaward Kaikōura Range, with peak names labelled

In recent years a good children's playground has been added to the park, along with public toilets and a helipad opposite the hospital entrance for medical emergency use. The new Kaikōura Fire Station is just across State Highway 1 (Churchill St) from the park.



Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Purfg urvtug

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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