The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (or Ulysses, as he was known in Roman myths) and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach his home land of Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage.
Take up the challenge, and embark on your own Odyssey, visit the sixes caches in this series and take part in some of the adventures, trials and tribulations that Odysseus endured during his epic journey. Hopefully it will take you a little less than 10 years.
CYCLOPS
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After leaving the land of the Lotus Eaters Odysseus and his ships reach and land on an island with a huge cave filled with sheep and goats, he then left his boat at the shore and brought along his twelve best men to find who lived in the cave. Eventually they find that the large cave is the home of the great Cyclops Polyphemus. When Polyphemus returns home with his flocks and finds Odysseus and his men, he blocks the cave entrance with a great stone, trapping the remaining Greeks inside. Polyphemus then crushes and immediately devours two of his men for his meal the first night.
The next morning, Polyphemus kills and eats two more of Odysseus' men for his breakfast and exits the cave to graze his sheep. The desperate Odysseus devises a clever escape plan. He spots a rather large unseasoned olive wood club that Polyphemus left behind the previous night and, with the help of his men, sharpens the narrow end to a fine point. He hardens the stake over a flame and hides it from sight. That night, Polyphemus returns from herding his flock of sheep. He sits down and kills two more of Odysseus' men, bringing the death toll to six. At that point, Odysseus offers Polyphemus the strong and undiluted wine given to him by Maron. The wine makes Polyphemus drunk and unwary. When Polyphemus asks for Odysseus' name, promising him a gift if he answers, Odysseus tells him "nobody." Being drunk, Polyphemus thinks of it as a real name and says that he will eat "nobody" last , with that, Polyphemus crashes to the floor and passes out. Odysseus, with the help of his men, lifts the flaming stake, charges forward and drives it into Polyphemus' eye, blinding him. Polyphemus yells for help from his fellow cyclopes that "nobody" has hurt him. The other cyclopes think Polyphemus is making a fool out of them or that it must be a matter with the gods, and they grumble and go away.
In the morning, Odysseus and his men tie themselves to the undersides of Polyphemus' sheep. When the blind Cyclops lets the sheep out to graze, he feels their backs to ensure the men are not riding out, but because of Odysseus' plan, he does not feel the men underneath. Odysseus leaves last, riding beneath the belly of the biggest ram. Polyphemus does not realize that the men are no longer in his cave until the sheep and the men are safely out.
As he sails away with his men, Odysseus boasts to Polyphemus that "I am not nobody; I am Odysseus, Son of Laertes, King of Ithaca.
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You will need to visit 6 caches in this series to gather information to work out where the Final Cache GC3GZ6J “The Odyssey- Ithaca” is hidden.
Each cache contains a code you should remember to write down and take with you.
The six caches in the series are
- GC3GZ5D – Calypso
- GC3GZ5H – The Lotus Eaters
- GC3GZ5M – Cyclops
- GC3GZ5T – Aeolus
- GC3GZ5Y – Circe
- GC3GZ60 – The Sirens
Please NOTE that you must sign the log book for each individual cacher, Finds logged not corresponding with the logbook may be deleted.
Please take some time before leaving to ensure that the cache is re-hidden exactly as you found it.
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For more information about geocaching in New Zealand,
visit the New Zealand Recreational GPS Society forums or website. |