This cache is designed for NFC-capable smartphones. Read on for more information about what that is and also how do the multi tech-free if you want to.
The title of this cache is in reference to the cache Sometimes I Just SIts in Titahi Bay which is a similar multi-cache that required visiting a bunch of scenic lookout seats in order to find the final cache. That title is quoting one of the plaques on a seat which itself is a paraphrasing of Winnie the Pooh (one assumes). It was accidentally quite a good title for the nature of the multi. But there are no plaques on the seats of this trail so it's time to get experimental.
While this cache has the attribute "special tool required" and is designed to work using some smartphone magic you can totally do this the "old fashsioned" way using codes physically printed on tags at the waypoints.
Rather than clutter up this cache page with (even more) technical details about what NFC is and how this multi-cache uses them, most of that information will be deferred to an external web page should you be interested in finding out about it. Most of that information is specifically about how NFC is used to build this multi-cache but also has some information about NFC in general to give it context.
More about the technical aspects of this cache
The mechanism used by the NFC tags is a URL protocol which should, when you scan the tag with a smartphone, cause your default browser to open the web page encoded in the tag. Because a 3rd party external web server (i.e. not geocaching.com) is required to handle that, all the related information is held there too and you can make sure you phone can "see" it before you get there.
Layout of the multicache
Each waypoint has an NFC tag attached to a seat somewhere. WP1-3 are the same type of seat and the tag is in the same place on each one. Once you've scanned them all you should be told where the final is via a web page. You can scan them in any order but the recommended order is the listed order starting from the published coords.
Finding the cache with NFC
|
If NFC works for you should be able to just read the tags at each of the 4 waypoints and, when you read the 4th one, you will be automatically directed to a web page which tell you where the cache is. The reason it works this way is described in the linked info page (in case you're familiar with NFC and wondering why the geolocation or some other protocol is not used).
Since that page is hosted on the same server as the tag URLs you can get some certainty that the server is working before doing the multi.
All you should need to do is locate the tag and touch the back of your phone to it for a second or two. The phone should not need any special app running - it probably needs to be awake but not doing anything in particular (could be on the home screen or showing the web page of a previous waypoint). You may need to enable NFC first in the settings depending on the phone - the CO's new phone worked "out of the box" but others have reported their needed enabling first.
Scanning the tag should open up your web browser and head to a web page specifically created for that waypoint. Specifically, this page. It's designed mainly for mobile phones but should still look okay on tablet or desktop browsers.
It remembers which ones you have visited using a browser cookie which is how it knows to reveal the final when you've read all 4.
|
|
Finding the cache without NFC
Because not all phones have NFC and there's no reason to assume all geoachers even have a smartphone this cache can be done like a mostly traditional multi-cache with all-physical stages. There's no rule to say that geocaches must be accessible without "special equipment" but, in all honesty, forcing people to use non-standard tools benefits nobody.
Each tag has 2 of the digits physically printed on it in addition to the geocaching logo. They might be tricky to read due to the location - you might need to employ a camera phone.
The cache is then at S41 0A.BCD E174 5W.XYZ. No maths required!
While making the translation to final coords more obfuscated might possibly be an incentive to try the NFC method, in the end that's not really the point of the cache. But please note in your log if you tried the NFC method and whether it was easy or problematic.