Map of region showing the loop walk from the Catchpool car park via Butcher and Cattle Ridge tracks, and returning via the Orongorongo Track. Shows the three caches placed along the route at the time of publication of this one
How to get there:
It is recommended that you do this walk in an anticlockwise direction on the map above, making this cache the first of three. Starting at the Department of Conservation carpark at the end of the Catchpool Valley road, it's about 500 metres along the main Orongorongo track to the well-signposted junction with the Butcher Track which leads uphill in a southerly direction. For the great part the tracks you'll be walking on are well formed and maintained to a good standard by DOC. Where the track may be less obvious (mainly towards the northeast end of the Cattle Ridge track on the map above) there are frequent orange triangular plastic markers on trees along the way. The Butcher Track part of the loop walk is almost all uphill, but after that the walking is much easier along the Cattle Ridge Track and on the return to the carpark along the Orongorongo Track.
A view along Butcher Track just above the cache site
If you stop and listen at intervals during your walk you're likely to be rewarded with some rather attractive birdsong. I heard both tui and bellbird and saw a number of kereru (wood pigeons).
About the cache:
As of 19th October 2018, the cache is a camouflage-painted and labelled steel ammunition container. It is secured to the base of a small rimu tree with a chain, and contains the original cache container. This in turn contains the logbook, a writing implement and a few small swappable items. It can be reached without leaving the track.
Please cover well when replacing so that it is not visible from the track!
Caveats:
Note that the gates to the road leading into the Catchpool car park open at 8am, and close at 8pm in summer and 6pm in winter.
There is a poison bait trap fairly near to the cache. Please keep children away from this, and also ensure that the cache is well covered when you are replacing it so that it is not obvious to the people who service the trap.