Geocaching HQ Lackeys attend dozens of Mega and Giga-Events around the world, shaking hands, sharing stories of adventure, and of course, geocaching! Ari (ari54321) is an Associate Product Owner at Geocaching HQ. Ari recently traveled to The Netherlands, to to attend the |CET2023| “This is the end” Mega-Event (GC8V79J). Here’s his trip summary.

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to the Netherlands for the |CET2023| “This is the end” Mega-Event, held in Vroomshoop, a town in the picturesque region of Twente in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands offers a wide variety of Geocaching experiences: from wandering through medieval cities learning about history and architecture, to gearing up with special equipment to climb trees or wade through canals, you can find it here!

One of my favorite experiences on this trip was putting on a wading suit and walking through water to find a geocache – in view of a classic Dutch windmill!

After a full day of geocaching, it was time to start the Mega-Event fun with a barbecue event. As the hours drew on, more and more geocachers arrived to reunite and talk about their plans for the weekend; it could only be described as a gezellig atmosphere (a typical Dutch way of describing a cozy and nice gathering of friends).

This year there were attendees from more than 15 countries at the Mega-Event. It is always so special to connect and talk with people who share the same obsession and hobby. Connecting with the Dutch geocaching community was certainly a highlight!

The event itself was a blast. This year, the organizers chose a Hawaiian theme, complete with a toucan mascot and vibrant pink Hawaiian shirts. The event hosts created fun Adventure Labs; each location had a different game to “unlock” the code word – my favorite was the carnival-style strength challenge.

For many attendees, a highlight of the Event is the opportunity to find 124 new geocaches in the area, from puzzle caches to caches hidden high up in a tree – there was something for everyone.

At the end of the Event, everyone gathered again to say goodbye, with a closing speech from the organizing team. Thank you so much to the amazing organizing team and all of the volunteers who made this Event such a success!