OBJECTIVE: Not only is finding each of the six Tasman
Extreme Series (TES) caches a reward in itself, each contains part
of a starting location to the final 7th multi-stage
cache, which offers the hardest challenge of all… but also offers a
real, desirable award (no McToys in the final cache – we promise).
Even though the final (7th) cache will remain for others
to find, there will only be one (desirable) First To
Find prize... So, not only is it a challenge to find each of
the TES caches individually… who can claim the final cache, and
with it, the TOP PRIZE?
HOW: Between now, and the first week of 2008, there will
be five TES traditional caches placed in the Tasman District. At
each of these locations, you will be looking for the cache, which
has:
1. A log to sign with your geocaching id (and something
to sign it with)
2. A piece of the final cache location in the format X=n, where X
is the letter A through F, and n is a number 0 through to
9
You sign the log, and you collect the final cache location clues
to be used against the final cache location formula, which will be
published in the 2nd week of January 2008. The
6th cache will be published “just before” the final
7th cache date.
THE FINAL COORDINATE TO THE GRAND PRIZE CACHE: You will
be collecting clues to find the numbers which match the letters in
the following location:
S 41° 2M.ECA
E 173° 1N.FDB
Clues in caches will be put out in alphabetical order: A, B, C
through F. As you can see, the last two caches will be the most
critical, as they provide the most significant digit in the final
location, and any “guessing” is eliminated until both E and F are
known.
The values for M and N will be published as part of the FINAL
cache page description published around 7 January 2008. (This
eliminates people “guessing” the final location until everyone is
ready to try).
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT OR NEEDS: It is our objective to
minimise the need for any special equipment, high levels of fitness
or in-depth technical, scientific or local knowledge. Everyone who
geocaches and has at least a few dozen finds will have the general
equipment, skills and understanding needed to participate in the
TES. What will give you an edge is: experience. Cachers with 100+
finds, and those who have solved some of Nelson’s harder caches (do
10 of kiwi-nomad’s as a primer) are probably more “match fit” than
those who are new to it. Having said that, time is the great
equaliser. Where an expert will know how to think laterally/outside
the square, a stubborn never-say-die cacher will even the odds.
Speed is NOT critical, with the exception of the final cache
after it is released. Although the title is the TASMAN EXTREME
SERIES, some of the caches may in fact be in the Nelson area. All
caches are contained within the following extreme boundaries: Hira,
Mapua, Dovedale, Bellgrove. However, it is extremely unlikely that
all of the above extreme distances will be used. They simply
outline the possible game area. Using Richmond as a base,
none of the caches will be more than a 30 minute drive away, and
most of them are less than that. For visitors to Nelson that join
the game in late December 2007 or early January 2008, they should
be able to visit all published cache sites within one or two
days, and can therefore be ready for the final race to the GRAND
PRIZE.
Caution: This series is
not suitable for unsupervised children. Some locations may
be near traffic, water, heights and other general hazards that
exist in our communities. If you do go caching with children, you
MUST at all times ensure they are safe.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. Use stealth at all times. For this series to work, all caches
need to survive until the end of January 2008, at a minimum.
2. Please, re-hide the cache exactly as you found it. Please.
Nothing less, nothing more.
3. Take note of the clue value at each cache site and record it –
you will need it to find the final cache in the series. The clue
value is X=n for each cache.
4. Do not enter private property. Do not break, force, or alter
anything that you can't return exactly to the way you found it. TES
requires brains, not brawn.
5. The final multi-stage cache will require a number of hours to
complete, and will probably require driving to a number of
different locations. Allow for this when planning.
TASMAN EXTREME SERIES
CACHE LOCATION 2 OF 6
41 18.766
173 15.820