Like, A Bridge Over Troubled Water, Ya Know?
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is more about the journey than the actual find, honest!
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Like, A Bridge Over Troubled Water, Ya Know?
It seems to me, with Paul and Art the flavour of LAST week,
That I should also place a “Simon and Garfunkel” for you to seek!
I am not sure that you can really class them as a “band”,
But jumping on their “wagon” is what I shall try my hand!
Red Tag! “I Am A Rock”-the song- was penned before my birth,
Which is why I cannot solve your cache, though I’ve given it all I’m worth!
“Bridge Over Troubled Water”, though, now that’s more in my time,
And so I thought I’d run with that, and hence this little rhyme!
The day that you decide to do this cache is how you’ll tell,
If waters troubled you shall cross, or calm, or choppy swell.
From East to West, on Southern side, upon your feet traverse,
Then West to East, on Northern side, SG-3 you’ll surely curse!
Be sure whilst seeking high and low for very tiny clues,
To look up every now and then and take in grander views.
So few in this fair State of ours have done this little walk,
But believe me when I say that, at work, about it, you shall talk!
(Oh boy, I’m sounding more like Yoda, than a poet of any merit-
And now I’m cornered into using a cop-out rhyming word like ferret!)
This cache is more about the journey than the actual find,
Hence the MIB don’t rate a mention- they’re furthest from my mind!
DOH, they snuck in ANYWAY! I don’t know how they DO IT!
So keep your wits about you still- your negligence? You’ll rue it!
These rhyming couplets now must cease, for clarity of instruction,
And also cos my brain will burst and cause my full destruction!
Ack! That was terrible! OK, here’s the drill.
Start at the cache coordinates - this is NOT where the cache is hidden! You should find yourself on a gently sloping grassy vacant area between the Tasman Bridge and a House, on the OPPOSITE side of the road to Montagu Bay Primary School’S sports ground. For those navigationally-challenged (is a navigationally- challenged geocacher a geo-oxy-moron?), you are on the Eastern Shore of the River Derwent. The Tasman Bridge has two pedestrian/cycle-ways allowing those on foot, or pedal power, to cross the mighty river below. The pedestrian access you are about to traverse is on the southern, or Down side of the bridge. If you make your way up the grassy slope to where you see lots of traffic moving onto the bridge you will quickly find this southern Pedestrian/cycleway. Before you actually start walking over the bridge, towards the DARK –er Western side, please read the following warnings:
a) You are sharing this pathway with cyclists; keep your wits about you at all times, especially when bending down for clues. They sneak up (and down) very quickly!
b) If you do choose to do this in the dark, please be wary of torch use; we don’t want to blind or distract motorists! A small penlight should be ample for your needs.
c) Although you are looking for a ridiculous amount of numbers, you shouldn’t need to actually touch anything to read them- they are all in plain sight, though some writing is small! Please don’t open anything (except the actual cache!)
d) Those ridiculous amount of Numbers? You may, or may not, find this useful:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V !
e) Please, please, PLEASE, don’t feel tempted to take a shortcut across the traffic, either on the bridge, or elsewhere! OK, that’s just common-sense, but I couldn’t live with... well... I’m sure you get the picture!
OK! You can start walking over... NOW!
As you make your way over the bridge, you will notice power boxes on your left, labeled with a number (D26, D25, D24 etc) This number is above a weatherproof three-pin power-socket, and is on the side facing away from you as you make your way across the bridge. Just keep half an eye on these numbers as you progress.
Make your way to the top of the bridge. Apart from a magnificent view, you will find at the top (to your left, at your feet, between two power boxes) what appears to be a large cast iron stop-cock, with the tap handle missing. It has the words “John Iron” on the side facing the road. Above these words is a single digit. Call this number “A”.
Continue on your way, watching those power boxes until you come to Power Box Number D13 (Or, if the MIB have tampered with it, continue on to D6!). You may notice that the power socket below the number D13 (or D6!) is slightly different from the others you have passed; you should be able to find the words:
Clipsal
10 AMP
_ _ C _ _ _
where the Dashes are Numbers. Assign these numbers, from left to right, the letters B C D E F.
Continue your way over to the Western Shore, taking the right-hand stairs down, turning right at the bottom of the stairs. Continue to follow the path through the tunnel under the road, and turn left as you exit the tunnel; you should now be able to make your way onto the Northern, or Upper pedestrian/cycle way, so you can make your return to the Eastern Shore.
On this side of the bridge you will notice the power-boxes are numbered U1, U2, U3 etc. When you get to U10, look carefully for small writing on the power-socket under the U10 number label. You seek the number:
V/ _ _ _ _ _
where the Dashes are Numbers. Assign these numbers, from left to right, the letters G H I J K.
Continue on your way, enjoying the views and the fresh(?) air as you go, until you come to power box U26. Below the power-socket, which is below the number U26, you will see a padlock. On it facing outwards is some writing, the bottom word being “Patented”. Above that word is written:
_ _ / _ _
where the Dashes are Numbers. Assign these numbers, from left to right, the letters L M N O.
Continue to the Eastern Shore; the pathway ends just after you leave the bridge; be on the lookout for a red-painted square at your feet, with a metal circle in the middle – it is a Lands Department Survey Mark! It has an Identifier on it:
SPM
_ _ _ _
where the Dashes are Numbers. Assign these numbers, from left to right, the letters P Q R S.
NOTE NOW!
You will notice that the road you are near (not the one that comes off the bridge with all the crazy traffic) goes down and under the Tasman Bridge. When it comes time to return to your car (NOT YET!), please do so by going UNDER the bridge. This comes out very close to where you started. Please don’t try playing chicken with seventeen lanes of traffic!
So, what about T, U, and V?
T=(A+D)-O
(that’s the letter OH, not zero!)
U =J-G
V=C/H
The Cache is hidden at
S 42° B E . P N V
E 147° K T . S U Q
It is a small Camouflaged Sistema, which at time of placement contained:
A log book and pen, stash-note, FTF micro-certificate, a couple of fridge magnets, a couple of glitter glue pens, some dehydrated dinosaurs, and three 17-month old children.
DOH, OK, Mrs SG-3 has vetoed the last swaps – they wouldn’t have fit in anyway! Please be VERY CAREFUL to re-hide the cache well, and in the same spot!
By the way, if you haven’t done “River Crossing” by Malbena (GCNV0Y) this voyage of discovery will bring you close by it. It is one of my favourites!
And finally, just to see if I can win the prize for most verbose Cache description, a final rhyming couplet:
You’ll catch no Red Herrings from this cache; you’d need lines just far too long,
So trying to READ between THESE lines won’t help with LAT or LONG!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
NG SRRG, ORGJRRA GUERR GERRF