Amphitheatre of the Gods
UPDATE - I went and checked out the cache this morning (2001/7/2). It was intact and ok, but there were a lot of new rocks and boulders around - including one about 1.5m across right next to the cache. For safety sake, I have now moved the cache further away from the rock face. I didn't find the sheep.
I would not recommend going up to the rock face, or amongst the rocks and boulders. The cache is not in that area. Rock falls could occur because of earthquakes, or from water freezing in rocks and breaking them off - this is more common this time of year.UPDATE ENDS
Located near Birdlings Flat, Canterbury, it is about 45 minutes drive from Christchurch on the way to Akaroa. Take the turn off to Birdings Flat (S43°48.849' E172°41.800') and follow the road to the left to the Car park by the beach (S43°49.574' E172°42.471).
From there, head east to the cache coordinate above. This cache is located approximately 50m away from the coordinate above. GPS reception is poor at the cache itself because of the, well you'll see :) Head on a bearing of about 5°-10° (magnetic) towards the cliff. Its only about 50m from the waypoint!
Make sure to wander down near the beach and browse through the sea-worn stones. You will find some lovely stones in amongst them!
Overall Difficulty: The box has been hidden, and is visible only from very close. It should however be easier to find now. GPS coverage near the cache is poor.
Terrain Difficulty: Stones from car park to cache (~500m) are heavy walking in places. Uneven and rocky ground around cache.
Container: The container is a 2.6L snap-lock rectangular container that has been camo-painted, and has the word GEOCACHE painted on the top in yellow.
Contents: It seemed somewhat fitting that my first cache should contain some of the loot I have collected from elsewhere. There is a camera, so please take 2 photos, leave your email address in the log, and I will send a photo when I develop the film.
- X Files book
- Loot Bags
- A couple of sporting balls
- Dice
- Classical CD
- Multicoloured pencils
- Recalled $2 NZ coin
- Toy Car
- Rubbers
- Stickers
Risks: Beware of the following: -
- Don't drive on the rocky beach unless you are sure of what you're doing, vehicles have a tendancy to get stuck
- Don't swim in the sea here, you will drown
- Beware of falling earth and debris from the cliffs - There are lots of new rocks since I placed the cache!
- Don't look up when the birds are flying overhead! :)
Good Luck!
For more information about geocaching in New Zealand, visit the New Zealand Recreational GPS Society's website.