It is popular to “put down” our railways (although many don’t understand the massive tonnage of freight travelling end to end of the country this way every day) but in times past this was the only available transport for people and goods in areas like this.
When negotiating the lands by the mountain, travelers can miss a smallish sign at a very important spot – where the North Island Main Trunk was formally opened on 6th November 1908, with the driving of a ceremonial last rail attaching spike.
The first passenger-carrying train actually passed through 3 months earlier, carrying parliamentarians and other officials on a mission to meet the US fleet in Auckland, but they were carried past the final construction on temporary rails on 7th August 1908, then the line was closed again for completion.
The completion of this engineering marvel, much of which remains in original position and layout 100 years later was a fantastic achievement for this very new country, and this point of celebration deserves much greater recognition.
Enjoy your stop in this historic site, you are looking for an ammunition can with OFFICIAL GEOCACHE stenciled on the side..
NOTE we NEVER hide caches in flax ...
In September 2022 the ammo can went missing. We have temporarily replaced it with a click-clack box painted brown, but will go back to an ammo can after the box thief has moved on.
Nearby is the famous Makatote Viaduct that was the last major construction on the line. celebrated by GC71YYC
Note: Some members of the public are known to toilet in public places, and this happens around this parking area. If this worries you, please do not attempt this cache - do not try, then complain in your log, as you are warned! We believe this historic location deserves a cache even of some aspects make searching more difficult.
Logging Recommendations
This cache, (like most of Radionut50’s hides) is NOT meant to be hard to find – so logs saying ‘easy find’ are pretty meaningless. The reason for this hide is to introduce you to this piece of our country’s great history , so logs commenting on your experience are very welcome. You are also invited to crack the hint as you arrive, to reduce the chance of a prolonged search compromising the hide in this very public place.