Skip to content

Land before Time (Otago) Mystery Cache

Hidden : 4/18/2022
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


The posted co-ordinates are fake, please do not go there. To find the cache you will need to solve the puzzle below and travel along a gravel road several Km from Sutton.

I've tweaked the puzzle, as the first version had a couple of issues when Beta reviewed. I've themed the cache based on the comments from MinionOne 'It's like stepping back in time.... to a time when the concept of time didn't exist'. 

Oh, a land before time.... well that brought a childhood memory.

Puzzle;

Simply match the name of the dinosaurs which have been known to roam the planet at the time to the pictures. As signal can be a bit patchy I have given some descriptions to help.

The cache is at S 45° AB.CDF E 170° GH.JKL (checker available on webpage)

Ankylosaurus (they have a lot of amour on their back and a mace for a tail) = 6

Brachiosaurus (if you climb a tree, you might still be below their eye line) = 1

Elasmosaurus (they love to swim – maybe around lock ness?) = 4

Parasaurolophus (they stand on 2 feet and love their leaves) =  3

Pterodactyl (keep one eye on the sky for these) = 6

Spinosaurus (is that a sail on their back as they run on 2 legs) = 2 

Stegosaurus (they have diamond scales on back and spikes on tail) = 8

Triceratops (they have three horns on their head) = 5

Tyrannosaurus Rex (he’s the king – but how with those tiny arms?) = 9

Velociraptor (don’t be fooled by their feathers, their teeth are sharp) = 0


Please note I enjoy using a bit of artistic licence to make a cache theme work - yes I am aware many of the dinosaurs depicted on this page have  not been found crossing New Zealand. In fact; it was in Hawes Bay and not down here that fossil hunter has discovered that one of the largest known dinosaurs, a titanosaurid, almost certainly roamed New Zealand about 80 million years ago. But it’s not one of the more commonly recognised ones and this is meant to be a bit of fun. For any education research on dinosaurs or fossils around the Otago area, check out the Otago Museum in Dunedin. 

 

 

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Vafvqr tncvat ubyr, rafher ebpxf cynprq onpx bagbc be vg jvyy trg oybja njnl

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)