Best Geocaching Birthday Present Ever

The email alert on my Blackberry chimed at 2.30pm on a bright and sunny Sunday. I noted the subject line, ‘On your marks, get set …’, as I opened it up.

‘Go!’.

Nothing else to read, though I noticed a jpg attached to kjwx’s message and opened it up to reveal an image of a Geocaching.com listing.

Days earlier, a parcel from my darling sister had arrived but I had not been allowed to look at its contents. Obviously, I would have to work for that pleasure.

Quick-smart, the Cumbyrocks crew was ready to head off toward Waypoint No 1. It wasn’t long till we found ourselves on the lawn of the Otago Museum with the whole family searching various nooks and crannies of the trees there. Time dragged on and, with no luck finding the hide, we elected to contact kjwx for a hint. One quick phone call and a march of 40 metres later resulted in us standing before the museum sign, staring at a small QR code on its side.

Not the best start to this birthday mission.

With help from the Blackberry, that QR code transported us to a TB listing page.

So it was off to Waypoint No 2. The family took a number of guesses along the way as to where this would be, with all assuming it was in the vicinity of the school that the oldest Cumbyrocks Jnr attends. But the school came and went. Hmmm, wrong again.

Down a side street near one of our favourite places, Dunedin’s Woodhaugh Gardens, the GPS zero’d out in front of an average-looking student flat. A quick check of the clue … numbers … magnetic … ah-ha!

A clever little hide with the instructions for Waypoint No 3 tucked in behind.

Our third destination was in the direction of home so we headed off that way. The warm and sunny afternoon had passed and all the walking had worn out the kids. Being close to dinner, it was time to interrupt our mission for their food and bed routine. I’d get to finish my mission solo later in the evening.

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