Geocaching

[Transalper]

.... talking about Geocaching. Once this guy explained it, there was a moment of silence and I said "What a complete waste of time"....

Anything that gets us outside and on our feet has to be good for us.

I agree but no one else sees me doing it.......

Part of the fun is that you are supposed to use a bit of stealth while finding the caches, signing the logbooks and returning the caches to their hiding places.
In other words you try not to let the muggles (that's anyone not playing the game) catch you at it and don't let them see where the caches are hidden.

I for one have recently taken up this hobby and quite enjoy being shown interesting places that I often have been past many times but never taken the time to stop in and look about at.
Another amusing thing for me is that J now tells me off if I go searching without her.

[Subike]

Ever need an excuse to ride or stop somewhere different, want a reason to travel to areas you never been to before? Have a go at Geocashing - see this site for details. Basically people stash small contains with a logbook and maybe some small trinkets at a location then publish the coordinates and a hint on the site. All you have to do is upload the coords to a GPS unit then go hunting, write your details in the log book, and if you take something then put something back.

Did a search and there is 430 caches of them withing 100kms of home. Also check some of the adv ride routes like Lees Valley and Rainbow road and there are a few along these routes. I'm getting a GPS in a couple of months for using on the bike and this looks like another good use for it/reason to get one.

Cheers R

over the past thre years I have "found" over 100 of these cashes, It is a very enjoyable past time to say the least, and gets you to go to places you would not evn think of.
The best cashes are the multi cashe, where you have to find up to 8 clue spots before finding the real cashe. Can take hours.
One of the best is in Canturbry University, but Thats for you to find

Road bike riders can find as many as adventure bike riders, not all are miles off the beaten track like the one at lake Sumner

[cooneyr]

The problem there is that with the high sensitivity reciever you know more accuratly where you are you do not know what error margin the GPSd the person who placed the cache had

Definatly noticed this. Can be a little annoying at times - but we just use the criptic clue where there are too many options and in places where reception is limited

over the past thre years I have "found" over 100 of these cashes, It is a very enjoyable past time to say the least, and gets you to go to places you would not evn think of........

Ummm - wifey and I have found 30 in the past 3 weeks I defiantly agree that you get to see many places and learn lots of new things - like the resting place of the first NZ Chinese immigrant who became a citizen (he lived to 103!). There are some really interesting places out there.

Cheers R

[NordieBoy]

Ummm - wifey and I have found 30 in the past 3 weeks

Found the first of my 27 on July 14, 2003
11 of them don't exist anymore

There were 11 caches within 100km of home back then.
Now there are 426

I found...
4 in 2003
4 in 2004
12 in 2005
1 in 2006
7 in 2008 so far

[NordieBoy]

There's also "Adventure Caching" where you pick up the whole cache and drop it off somewhere else and update the site with the new coords.

[upshift]

There's also "Adventure Caching" where you pick up the whole cache and drop it off somewhere else and update the site with the new coords.

I think they were the ones called "movable caches", they don't exist anymore.

cheers,

[NordieBoy]

I think they were the ones called "movable caches", they don't exist anymore.

cheers,

Have a lookie on AdvRider.
They're doing it there and nothing to do with the Geocaching site.
It's just a thread that lists the current coords of the cache and when someone finds it they PM the person who updates the list.
A bit primitive at the moment

[Hoon]

I'm really keen on getting into this sport. Keeping fit for the Army requires me to pack march often (hiking with 30kg+) and walking around the neighbourhood gets boring after a while.
Navigation (i.e. map/compass work) is also something I really enjoy and I'd like to do more of.

I'm thinking of getting a Etrex Vista hcx. In the Army we use Garmin 12XL, 72 and 76 models. It was my task to train our deployment to the Solomons last year on how to use the GPS. The 12's should be enough to get you started with minimal expenditure. Their shortcomings are obvious when it starts pissing down or you are in dense bush with lock times but as a recreational user you'll have a lot more control over these elements. With a good lock you can get about 5m accuracy.

But geocaching sounds like a lot of fun. The whole "locate the cache while avoiding the muggles" thing is actually pretty similar to what we do so I could drag along a few of the boys and make a mission of it

[upshift]

Have a lookie on AdvRider

Thanks Nordieboy, I was referring to the listings on Geocaching.com as you would of guessed. But interested in the ADVrider thing, do you have a link?

I'm really keen on getting into this sport

Hi Hoon,
First place to look is www.geocaching.com. Click on the "Hide and seek a cache" box and enter your home co-ordinates and you will get a big list of nearby caches, there are roughly 800 within an 80Km radius of Central Auckland. Most are urban or "drive by" ones, or involve the solving of some fairly hard puzzle to obtain the co-ordinates. There are however quite a few physically challenging ones in the Waitakere's, plus further afield such as one requiring a a three day tramp in the Kaimanawa's.

[NordieBoy]

Thanks Nordieboy, I was referring to the listings on Geocaching.com as you would of guessed. But interested in the ADVrider thing, do you have a link?

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...enture+caching

[Steam]

I went geocaching for the first time today, with Xaria's GPS unit. I looked for four, only found two, but it was great, I discovered things about Dunedin I hadn't suspected.
I nearly fell to my death, wriggled on my belly 20m into an unexpected sand-choked tunnel, got all my pockets filled with sand, and the GPS recorded a top speed of 75.2 kph going downhill on my pushbike.

This is fun. If I'm still unemployed tomorrow I'll do some more.

[Xaria]

I went geocaching for the first time today, with Xaria's GPS unit. I looked for four, only found two, but it was great, I discovered things about Dunedin I hadn't suspected.
I nearly fell to my death, wriggled on my belly 20m into an unexpected sand-choked tunnel, got all my pockets filled with sand, and the GPS recorded a top speed of 75.2 kph going downhill on my pushbike.

This is fun. If I'm still unemployed tomorrow I'll do some more.

Glad you are enjoying it. Which caches did you do?

[Firefight]

Also check some of the adv ride routes like Lees Valley and Rainbow road and

Cheers R

Sorry Bit off topic, but have many here ridden Lees valley ?, I drove stock truck and trailers over that (for want of a better word. road) many many years ago, always thought it would be fun on an adveture bike.

always a bit hairy, also seem to recall a loacl tried to blow up the narrow bridge in the valley half way between Oxford and Mt Pember , anyone recall the details of that ?


F/F

[cooneyr]

Sorry Bit off topic, but have many here ridden Lees valley ?........

I's kinda our regular day out when we cant travel further or don't have anywhere else to go.

Cheers R

[Steam]

Glad you are enjoying it. Which caches did you do?

I did some that I see you'd already done, I saw your log reports.
I did F for Fore, I for Incline, Dad's Army, and Saddles, Sand, and Horses or whatever it's called. I only found Dad's Army and Fore, but I reckon that's okay for a first trip.
Thanks for the use of the unit, it's very useful to try one out before deciding what to buy.