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Nurikabe Mystery Cache

Hidden : 1/19/2013
Difficulty:
3.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

Another puzzle cache to go along with the local Sudoku and Kakuro.

"Nurikabe?  What is that?"  you might be asking.  If you like Sudoku or Kakuro, the Nurikabe is the next step!

Here is what the interweb has to say about Nurikabe puzzles:

Nurikabe is a binary determination puzzle named for an invisible wall in Japanese folklore that blocks roads and delays foot travel. Nurikabe was apparently invented and named by Nikoli; other names (and attempts at localization) for the puzzle include Cell Structure and Islands in the Stream.

The rules?  Very simple:

The puzzle is played on a typically rectangular grid of cells, some of which contain numbers. Cells are initially of unknown color, but can only be black or white. Two same-color cells are considered "connected" if they are adjacent vertically or horizontally, but not diagonally. Connected white cells form "walls", while connected black cells form "a stream".

The challenge is to paint each cell black or white, subject to the following rules:

  1. Each numbered cell is a wall cell, the number in it is the number of cells in that wall.
  2. Each wall must contain exactly one numbered cell.
  3. There must be only one stream, which is not allowed to contain "pools", i.e. 2x2 areas of black cells.

Clear as mud?  Hope so!  Well, this puzzle has a twist.  After solving the puzzle you will have a grid of black and what cells, but no coordinates! Wait, what's that second grid for? Remember, Nurikabe is a BINARY puzzle. Let that be your first hint. The second hint is embedded in the puzzle. Once you solve the puzzle and figure out what to with the other grid, the coordinates and hunt should pop out.

Without any further ado:





Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur uvag vf cneg bs gur fbyhgvba

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)