The hardest part of this cache is getting to the start of the
track!
From Collingwood, take the road toward the Heaphy track and turn
of as if you were going to the Te Anaroa Caves. Just before you get
to these caves, turn off into Devils boots Road and follow that to
the carpark at S40 45.062 E172 37.437.
The road is a bit dicey, and more suited to a 4X4, but I managed to
coax my 2 wheel drive through the hazards without too much
difficulty. I would not recommend taking a low slung vehicle or one
you want to keep clean!
Before you get to the carpark, you will come to a gate. This seems
to be the end of the road, but it is not, the carpark is another
half a kilometre past this.
This area also has some good mountain biking, and there is an
alternative route up the 4X4 track to this cache if you want to do
it on MTB.
Once at the carpark, there is an info sign and the track to the Dam
is obvious. It is about 4 KM either direction making a 8 KM round
trip. The sign says 1 hour 20 minutes either way, but give yourself
lots of time to explore along the way including the caves. The walk
in is rocky and muddy in places, and mainly uphill to about 1000
feet above sea level.
Once you get to the dam, the cache site is in good GPS coverage. It
is a standard 1 litre Camo box with the usual logbook and exchanges
with enough room for small travel bugs.
I find it fascinating that men used to build things like this by
hand. The Water Race that you follow most of the way up was all
hand dug!