So what is geocaching?
It's kind of like a hi-tech treasure hunt outdoors. You'll need a GPS, some good walking shoes and a desire to go looking for something. The NZRGPSS describes it as
a hi-tech game of hide-and-seek. [...] it is your mission to try and find [caches] using only your GPS and any clues you are given.Essentially, a cache (which could be as small as a film canister or up to the size of a bucket) is hidden somewhere outdoors. Occasionally a cache is hidden in an urban setting, but it's usually in a non-urban environment. It could be up a hill, on a beach, under a rock, or up a tree. The GPS co-ordinates of the cache are posted online. It's then up to you to go and find it, write on the log sheet and bag the cache. There are sometimes multi cache options, where there's two or more locations involved - the first cache gives you a clue for the second and/or third locations. Kind of like a bread crumb trail to the treasure.
It might sound simple, after all you've got the GPS co-ordinates, but as the article in the Wilderness magazine clearly shows, GPS co-ordinates aren't exact to the nearest millimetre, so you'll still have to hunt for the cache once you are in the right place.
If you are already spending time outdoors, then why not add an extra dimension to your adventure? You might find that the thrill of the chase pushes you to explore places you never thought you'd go.
There's some good books to get you started, including The geocaching handbook : the guide for family friendly, high-tech treasure hunting. You can also search for geocaching and/or Global Positioning System in the library catalogue. I'd also recommend the geocaching section of the website of the New Zealand Recreational GPS Society (NZRGPSS) to start you on your journey, they have great links to online geocache directories. Happy treasure hunting.
