*Not this cache predates Covid-19:
For information on Geocaching during Covid19 in New Zealand please visit www.wiki.groundspeak.com/display/GEO/New+Zealand ,and for information regarding New Zealand's response to Covid-19 please go to www.covid.govt.nz.*
To ensure that others don't accidental find these essentials, I had placed the kit (bucket) in a wooden chest that only an eye of a Geocacher can find. As with many things in an apocalypse things age and so if you come years later you may find wood chunks but plastic lasts longer.
So the actual chances of you ever needing your own gear is slim to none.... but following the 2014 DunDead Festival hundreds of people turn dressed up as zombies to walk through town, there were a couple of 5km zombie 'fun' runs too and it got me thinking how would I go about surviving an apocalypse.
At the festival I went along with my sister (geocacher PandaJayne) to the Ignite talks, where speakers got 5 minutes each talking about zombies in relation to their field of work at the Otago University. Speakers came from diverse backgrounds such as Anatomy, Neuroscience, Statistics, Literature, Movie Directors, Special Effects, Art and tech. I have to admit the Statistician gave us on the South Island some really good odds at surviving.
"Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse" which is a blog post by the United States Centre’s for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses a zombie apocalypse metaphor to raise public awareness of preparedness. In a blog post titled "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse". The director of the CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Rear Admiral Ali S. Khan writes: "Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That's right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency". Comparing the hurricane season and possible pandemics to "flesh-eating zombies" from the horror film Night of the Living Dead and the video game series Resident Evil, Khan recommends people prepare for natural disasters as they would have prepared for "ravenous monsters".
Anyone visiting this cache (including tourists) should have emergency kits which are regularly checked as explained in http://getthru.govt.nz/how-to-get-ready/emergency-survival-items
Due to its location and environment, New Zealand faces many potential disasters. In some cases, such as a weather related or volcanic disaster, there may be time for a warning. But an earthquake or a tsunami close to land could strike without warning. All disasters have the potential to cause disruption, damage property and take lives. So it's vital that you prepare now.
At the festival we won a basic starter Zombie survival kit, containing:
Radio (to hear what is going on in the world), torch, duct tape, rope, knife, hammer (because the best way to kill a zombie is to destroy the brain), tin food, water, can opener, bandages (not to be used on bites), face masks (as many viruses are spread through the air) and a book on infections and immunity (just in case you end up having to find the cure).
And the container...screamed Geocache to me - hence this cache idea was born. I have made a few changes to the above in this kit that I will place on the edge of the CBD - ensuring that nothing in the cache container could be used to actually harm anyone (in case kids accidently stubble across it).
For swaps and logs it would be great if you could try and follow the theme.
In the event of a zombie apocalypse, would you be a survivor? Would you stay in the city or get off the beaten trail like the crew from The Walking Dead? What about supplies and weapons? And final question - would you wait it out or try and save the world?
For more info on how to survive a Zombie Apocalypse I recommend watching Shaun of the Dead (great comedy film) Zombieland and the Walking Dead (TV series). Also read World War Z (book, film misses alot of the key ways to survive mentioned in the book).
Wish to attend New Zealand’s next large multi-day event? GCA7ZHD Geo Toroa will be held on NZ’s Labour Day long weekend 26-27th October 2024 right here in Dunedin. Details in the link below;
