Geo-Doku
Note: a) the cache is not at the above coordinates! b) you don't need to leave the trail to access the cache
Sudoku is a widespread and highly popular numeric logic-based puzzle based on the mathematical concept of Latin Squares. The modern form was popularised in 1986 in Japan but it may have evolved from a simpler version devised by the 18th century Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler. It was originally called Suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru which means 'the numbers must be unmarried (single)' and later abbreviated to Sudoku.
In the most popular form of the puzzle the objective is to fill a 9 x 9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid (also called boxes, blocks, regions, or sub-squares) contains all of the digits from 1 to 9 (ie. no digit can appear twice). The puzzle setter provides, depending on the level of difficulty, a more or less partially completed grid. If you need more details of the rules and lots more information on the puzzle see the following summary.
The beauty of the puzzle is that a) you don't need any special knowledge to do it and b) there is only one solution, which is reached by reasoning and elimination. The numbers are merely symbols - they could just as well be pictures of birds or geometric shapes - they key thing is that there are 9 of them - it just so happens that there are also 9 non-composite numbers.
Since it was introduced in UK (in the 12 November 2004 copy of The Times newspaper) it has become hugely popular, with puzzles printed in nearly every local and national newspapers, and this is the case in many countries throughout the world.
It can be very addictive . . . in June 2008 an Australian drugs-related jury trial costing over AU$ 1,000 000 was aborted when it was discovered that five of the twelve jurors had been playing Sudoku instead of listening to evidence!
There are many variations of the puzzle with for example different sizes and numbers of grids, multiple overlapping or sequential grids and jigsaw sudoku (below) which has 9 irregularly shaped boxes of 9 cells each.
Sudoku software is also very popular on PCs, websites, mobile phones and video game consoles. There have also been live Sudoku TV programmes and there is an annual World Sudoku Championship with individual and team competitions.
In Geo-Doku solving the puzzle will also provide you with the required coordinates! The rows and columns are numbered in order to help identify individual cells whose digit value will be required for insertion in the relevant coordinates formula.
The following three puzzles are in order of difficulty - starting with Step 1: Easy. In order to ensure that Sudoku experts don't just skip to the last Step, some of the starting digits for Step 2 have been removed and must be found by completing Step 1. In the same way, the Step 2 completed puzzle will provide some missing starting digits for Step 3.
There are at least 2 levels of difficulty beyond the ones used here!!
Step 1: Easy
The location of the Parking Area and Trailhead is:
S34 10.(JG)(MI)(QA) E18 24.(NG-2)(NA)(MB)
To fill in missing starting digits for the Step 2 puzzle:
Step 1 cell NE = Step 2 cell JH
Step 1 cell PA = Step 2 cell OE
Step 1 cell MF = Step 2 cell RE
Step 2: Moderate
The location of the Trail Junction is:
S34 10.(JI)(OG)(QC) E18 23.(KH)(OD)(PF)
From here it is possible to reach the cache on faint trails without trampling the fynbos.
To fill in missing starting digits for the Step 3 puzzle:
Step 2 cell JD = Step 3 cell KF
Step 2 cell PB = Step 3 cell OE
Step 2 cell SF = Step 3 cell RH
Step 3: Tricky
The location of the cache, a small cylindrical camo-container, is:
S34 10.(JB)(PE)(SH) E18 23.(MB)(QF)(KG)
There is good evidence that doing regular puzzles like crosswords and sudoku helps sharpen the brain and that physical exercise triggers chemicals which act as 'fertiliser' for brain cells (see this link for example) - so enjoy doing the puzzles and the short hike which follows . . . !
Use the following link to check if your final coordinates are correct:
