Pigeon Post (Nelson/Marlborough) Letterbox Hybrid

This cache has been archived.

BigglesNZ: This cache was never meant to be this hard to get to. Storm damage has transformed a moderate stream hop to a very challenging bush bash. Not what was intended at all.

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Hidden : 12/1/2012
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

A regular sized cache which is also a 'letterbox' for those who are interested in that side of things.

Pigeon post is the use of homing pigeons to carry messages. Pigeons were effective as messengers due to their natural homing abilities. The pigeons were transported to a destination in cages, where they would be attached with messages, then naturally the pigeon would fly back to its home where the owner could read his mail. Pigeons have been used to great effect in military situations, with 32 birds winning the Dickin Medal.

Before the telegraph, this method of communication had a considerable vogue amongst stockbrokers and financiers. The Dutch government established a civil and military system in Java and Sumatra early in the 19th century, the birds being obtained from Baghdad. In 1851, the German-born Paul Julius Reuter opened an office in the City of London which transmitted stock market quotations between London and Paris via the new Calais to Dover cable. Reuter had previously used pigeons to fly stock prices between Aachen and Brussels, a service that operated for a year until a gap in the telegraph link was closed.

Before the pigeon post service was established the only regular connection between the community on Great Barrier Island (90 kilometres northeast of Auckland) and the mainland was provided by a weekly coastal steamer. The island's isolation was highlighted when the ship SS Wairarapa was wrecked off its coast in 1894, with the loss of 121 lives, and the news took several days to reach the mainland.
The pigeon post service began between the island and Auckland in 1897. Soon there were two rival pigeongram companies, both of which issued distinctive and attractive stamps. The stamps have been eagerly collected for their novelty value, and some have become extremely rare.

Initially, the service operated only from Great Barrier Island to Auckland, the reverse route being considered uneconomic. On the island, pigeongram agencies were established at Port Fitzroy, Okupu, and Whangaparara. Birds were sent over to the island on the weekly steamer and flew back to Auckland with up to five messages per bird written on flimsies and attached to their legs. Great Barrier Island's pigeongram service ended when the first telegraph cable was laid between the island and the mainland in 1908.

Cache is a 2l container with 2 log books - one is for regular geocaching logs and the other is for letterboxing stamps. Please do not take the stamps / stickers that are with the 2nd log book as this is intended to be used by letterboxing enthusiasts that may come across this container. There is also a pencil, sharpener, eraser and some initial swaps to make it interesting.

This container has been dual listed on Geocaching.com (this website) and also on Atlasquest.com (the letterboxing website). The letterboxing link is: (visit link)

The cache is only a short walk from the road (about 100m) but I'd recommend you wear sturdy footwear. I wouldn't recommend attempting this cache after heavy rain.

GPS coverage may be a bit patchy so feel free to use the hint.

Please re-cover and replace the cache as found.

Enjoy!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Orgjrra onfr bs snyyra gerr naq ebpxf.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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