BYO Pen
I was quite keen to hide a cache on the little man-made islet you see before you. I was about to head across to scope out this curious place when I noticed in the grass of the islet, a little sign - partially hidden by the foliage. All I could read was ROOST. Was this a bird sanctuary? I wanted to get closer but the mud was quite thick and I wasn't in the right shoes.
A little bit of googling came up with an article in the ODT - "Roost a boost for birds and humans". 28 May 2009
Turns out this islet was built for the birds (in 2009).
Dr Jill Hamel discovered more than 16 species of birds (mostly gulls, shags and ducks) spent time in the shallow waters here as it was rich in weed and fish. These birds were disturbed by the walkers, joggers and dogs that frequent the park and inlet surrounds. Dr Hamel spent 2 years planning and getting consent to build the islet - which was sponsered by Save the Otago Peninsula (STOP) project and funding was provided by Otago Community Trust, Dunedin City Council's biodiversity fund, the Greenwood Trust and engineering firm, MWH New Zealand Ltd.
Please do not head over to the islet. You can find the cache on the mainland.