At GZ you will get one of the best views of the new star art work going in at Ross Creek ( nearly 2 years in the making). The intent is that this will be a reflection of the night sky. I have marked the 3 locations you can interact safely with the stars from the paths. There are some seating areas where you can enjoy the views and search for the answers.
Like the Sun, stars rise in the eastern horizon and set in the western horizon. The night sky has been for many centuries been crucial for navigation across the seas. Navigators who know the direction and postion in which the stars rise and set can use the horizon as a compass.
Knowledge of the night sky is the most important of the mental constructs of knowledge needed for wayfinding. Pacific navigators memroise a star compass and more than 200 stars and know where they rise and set and in what order.
Matariki is a cluster of stars that holds huge significance for people all around the worlds. Also known as Pleiades, Matariki is hugely important in Te Ao Maori. As Matariki rises in mid winter this marks the Maori New Year. It is a timr to celnrate the past and future - a time to tell stories and plan ahead.
The star compas was devised to help navigators meonrise this knowledge.
Now wayfinder, to find the cache answer the following;
S45 50.ABC E170 29.DEF
A = How many stars are on the New Zealand Flag?
B = How many constellations along the ecliptic are called the zodiac? minus 5.
C = Where in the order of brightest star in the sky night does Canopus sit?
D = There are many legends about the star cluster Matariki. One of the most popular is that the star Matariki is the whaea (mother), surrounded by how many daughters?
E = The number of letters in the Maori name for Orion's Belt.
F = Number of letters of the constellation known by many as the Southern Cross, minus 4.
Checksum A+B+C+D+E+F= 26
For information; you can find out the guidelines for Geocaching and Covid-19 in New Zealand. https://wiki.groundspeak.com/display/GEO/New+Zealand . Please do not find this or any other geocaches during Level 3 or 4.