Zealand Zephyr
The cache
is not at the posted coordinates. Please solve the puzzle below to find
the actual cache location.
Another puzzle based on ultra-high
definition panoramic photos. See also
Elemonator 1. Click the image link below and
answer the associated questions.
On the image screen, be sure to
right-click on the image and select Full Screen, or use the Full Screen icon in
the upper-right of the image. The bigger the monitor you use, the better,
and the more spectacular!
Use the left mouse button to pan
around in all directions and the mouse wheel to zoom in (way in!) and out.
To open the image in a new
browser tab (making it easy to switch between the puzzle and image), right-click
the link below and select, "Open link in a new tab".
Auckland, New Zealand (Right-click & Open in a new tab)
No registration is required.
No personal information is required.
I have received permission to use
these images from the publisher.
Image credit: Gigapixel panorama created by
Jeffrey Martin,
www.360cities.net.
Auckland is a large metropolitan
city on New Zealand's North Island. There are a lot of caches there and I
will probably never find any of them, darn it! Oh well, exploring this
incredible photograph helps alleviate the pain!
Answer the following questions,
all based on the photo, and enter your answer at the end of this listing:
1 - Zoom in forward without
turning and spot the "ANZ" sign high on a skyscraper. Then look in the
background to the right for the "PWC" building. Zoom way in.
Examining both the flat part of the roof and the girder and glass area above it,
how many workers do you see? Note the one hanging over the edge - whew!
2 - Looking left, spot the big
bridge crossing the harbor. Just entering the near side of the bridge is a
red and yellow truck. The white-on-red words are also the name of a
symphony. In what year was the symphony premiered?
3 - Between the camera's
viewpoint and the bridge is a large playing field with trees on three sides.
How many total people do you count on the grass (don't count the ones just off
the grass)? But wait! The guy sort of in the middle has a ghost!
And the couple walking have identical twins in pursuit! I believe this is
an artifact of the multiple images stitched together to create the photo.
It's not apparent in other locations, such as on the bridge. Your count
should include everyone, including the ghost and the twins. Just hope they
aren't of the evil variety!
4 - Back to the starting point at
the "ANZ" building, look to the right just past the area of downtown skyscrapers
and locate a park and garden area featuring a sort of concentric circle garden
design. There are two rings of benches. How many benches are part of
the inner ring?
5 - Just to the
left of the garden and a bit
further away is a striking church or cathedral with a clock tower (there is a
different clock tower to the right). What time is it? Express the
time as a whole number (12:20 would be 1220).
6 - Aha! It isn't a church
or cathedral. Visit the site in Google Earth with "Places" checked to find
its identity. It helps to also click "3D Buildings" and tilt the image to
see the buildings more easily. Don't confuse it with other clock towers - it's across from
the entrance to the park/garden. According to Wiki, in what year was the
building completed?
7 - Drop to Street View outside
the building. How many inverted "U" bike racks do you see on the sidewalk
in front of the building? Across the street, find the entrance to the
park/garden and look in the distance for the tower. Bet that's where the
Gigapixel was taken!
8 - Indeed it is. Wiki
describes the Auckland Sky Tower, including safety features which accommodate
the building swaying in high winds. How many inches of sway are specified?
9 - Back up to the Sky Tower
viewpoint, panning right from downtown, spot the most prominent and closest hill
in the distance. It appears to have a flat, grassy top with an Eiffel
Towerish structure. A bit more than half way from the Sky Tower to the
hill and slightly to the right is a mostly-red sign on the side of a building
promoting an upcoming concert by a well-known rock artist. What is his or
her year of birth?
10 - Back to the playing field
with the ghost and evil twins (they are definitely evil), look to the left and
closer for
the yellow crane. The crane partially obscures a word standing at the top
of a building. The word is also the name of a song performed by a
Manchester, England rock band. In what year was the song released?
11 - Just to the right of the
building is a colorful street scene including some blue and green planter boxes.
How many of those boxes are visible? Don't miss the one that is mostly
hiding.
12 - After all the time it took
(considerable!) scanning the Auckland image for this puzzle, one thing is
obvious: Auckland is a fast-growing city. There are new high-rises
going up in every direction. One such building not far from the Sky Tower
is another apartment complex and loudly advertises, "Selling Now".
It is just beyond a tall cylindrical building with a helicopter pad on the roof.
The new building features a shield with two kiwi birds and the word "Advance".
Further below the shield is a phone number. What are the last three digits
of that number?
That's it! To discover the
cache coordinates, add your answers for the 12 questions and
enter the total in the Checker (with no commas).
Enjoy your visit to the cache
which is very, very far from Auckland, but in a location no less beautiful.
Okay, sorry kiwis, it's more beautiful!