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Quirky Quercus I Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

paddawan: The tree which held the final was completely removed and therefore it is too difficult to reconstruct in its current form. Back to the drawing board.

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Hidden : 12/13/2009
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Part one of a quirky quercus series on Avonrust Common, Noordhoek

This series should entice our intrepid geocacher out of their car and into a beautiful area in the heart of Noordhoek. Due to the close proximity and simplicity of the terrain I have not given any hints (at least until FTF). Unusually for Cape Town caches, it is less about the journey and more about locating the final destination.

Noordhoek has an unusually large number of oak trees. These are the English Oak (Quercus robur) which was brought to the Cape in the 17th century for timber. The trees are prone to a number of diseases due to the Cape’s warm Mediterranean climate and are dying off at a young age.

A specimen of notable longevity is one in Stelmuže, Lithuania which is believed to be approximately 1,500 years old, possibly making it the oldest oak in Europe; another specimen, called the 'Kongeegen' ('Kings Oak'), estimated to be about 1,200 years old, grows in Jægerspris, Denmark. Yet another can be found in Kvilleken, Sweden, .It is over 1,000 years old and 14 meters around.

Of maiden (not pollarded) specimens, one of the oldest is the great oak of Ivenack, Germany. Tree-ring research of this tree and other oaks nearby gives an estimated age of 700 to 800 years old. Also in Lincolnshire, England is estimated to be 1,000 years old making it the oldest in the UK, although there is Knightwood Oak in the New Forest which is also said to be as old.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)