This puzzle has been conjured up by La Vista. If you have any questions or hint requests contact the puzzle maker.
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Finding Mystery caches …and Also Maybe not ...
From Mystery cache solving I learn a lot ! I’ve had many adventures with the unexpected twists and turns of a mystery cache. Mystery caches can really bug me – keep me busy as a buzzy bee working on puzzles, but with some caches I’m feeling like a useless blind gnat, I on a long mission to complete 81 puzzle D/T grids!
After solving some tricky D/T puzzles on these Canterbury hills a few weeks ago, spells of DNFs knocked my caching confidence. Let me tell you about today’s effort if you’ve time to listen.
First cache required a long hike on a wet track to the edge of a steep cliff, carefully following the compass on my new GPS until it beeped near GZ. Now this looked a real breeze to find - I tried the obvious group of rocks, left no stone unturned on a widened search, but 45 minutes later, covered in mud, all to no avail ! DNF #1 ...
Next, I braved a tougher hike to the cache on the hilltop, catching amazing views on the way. Oh no! high terrain is also for the large container sighted 10m up a tree, no way up there today ! DNF #2, ... onwards to the next cache…
While hunting further down the trail beneath, under some bushes I heard someone approaching. No drama, I smiled and waved a friendly howdy, but the muggle stopped for a chat. He’d got lost by leaving the track and wanted directions back to the carpark. He dashed off, leaving me to continue my search. Alas, in the fading light it was in vain thus adding to now growing tally of 3 arduous DNFs for the day.
During the long drive home, I heard the smart app sound notification that maybe a new cache was published? I pulled over to check – so far so good! music to my ears ! Oooh, a simple puzzle and about 1km just over there ! Now that’s great news, talk about luck! ... and was in fact only 25km drive around the bays to a local pine forest .... Almost a quick park and grab to find the cache hidden in plain sight on a barb wired wooden post. Wow, a surprise FTF, signed and left a hurried log! Now this was a day of mixed fortune with 3 DNFs out of 3 attempts, and a lucky FTF!
Although Mystery caches had been solved, the day’s hunt for Finals were hindered by a steep muddy track, side of a sheer cliff; a cache placed high up a tree, out of grasp or take special equipment; and delay by a lost muggle for he made the wrong turn.
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Hasta la Vista ! Guess I’ll be back !! Next time, I’ll wait for a dry track, bring a tree climbing friend who could also help me hunt for the caches ! So stay tuned for my next D/T caching adventure. Great job to tune here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radio_stations_in_Canterbury (Find 22FM, 3AM - Not all transmit from Sugarloaf, but choose correctly if more than one frequency)
If you recorded a total track of me today, call this value Z, then this cache can be found at
South 43 degrees X minutes and East 172 degrees Y minutes where
X = Z / 156.1102
Y= Z / 121.4647
Cache on !
