Moneydork

We've had over 260 registrations of interest in the couple of days that the web site has been up and running so far. We're already half way to the magical 500 required to achieve official MEGA staus. If you're planning to attend the NZ MEGA 2012 then please register your interest at http://mega.gps.org.nz

The site has been up and running for a little over 24 hours now. Aleady 222 people have registered for the event, so were well on our way to the 500 required to achieve MEGA status. Please go to http://mega.gps.org.nz and register your interest if you're planning to attend.

The web site is now up and running for the 2012 NZ MEGA http://mega.gps.org.nz

The NZ MEGA 2012 web site is now live. http://mega.gps.org.nz Please direct any enquiries to the NZ Recreational GPS Society forums http://forums.gps.org.nz

The NZ MEGA is planned for 19th to 22 October 2012. This is New Zealand's Labour weekend (Monday 22nd is a public holiday). The general location - Dunedin is confirmed, however the specific location (where abouts in Dunedin) is still being finalised. The best place to watch for updates is teh NZ Recreational GPS Society forums http://forums.gps.org.nz/ Cheers, Moneydork.

The NZ Recreational GPS Society (http://www.gps.org.nz) is considering the option of hosting a NZ MEGA event - probably in either Easter or in October 2012. The likely location is Christchurch - the largest city in NZ's South Island. 500 people are needed for a MEGA Event. They take a bit of organising (sponsorship, prizes, etc) and generally last 3 days or so. It may involve camping, cabins or some other group accommodation arrangement - we're yet to identify the actual location and logistical arrangements. At this point of time, its only an idea - no guarantee that we'll go through with it, however we're interested in guaging the number of potential attendees so that we know whether or not the idea is worth pursuing. As 500 attendees are required for a MEGA event, so we probably won't proceed unless we get close to that number. If you would be interested in attending the proposed NZ MEGA Event 2012 then please go to the the NZ Recreational GPS Society forums and let us know.

Please see the the NZ Recreational GPS Society Forums for more details.

For New Zealand try www.gps.org.nz

Clever or sad?? Somehow this doesn't seem to match my understanding of the word "cache". The next step would be a warehouse wall that finders can tag with a spray can and log as a find (of course the placer would need permission from the walls owner to list it as a "cache") - at least they will have logged their visit at the site though. Back on topic - I doubt that most placers of nanos see them as replacement virtual caches but rather as challenges for other cachers to try and find. Like a clever urban micro, they can also be a challenge to design and hide. Some cachers don't like them, but they have become a valid and accepted part of the game. The requirement that cachers "log" their visit is also a valid and accepted part of the game - a guiding principle really, as is the need for caches to involve the use of a GPS. So is the requirement that cache placers must visit and maintain their caches - which includes a responsibility to replace or upgrade the caches log book when it needs it. The fact is, Nanos take more maintenance than standard cachers - but that is the cache placers responsibility - they shouldn't try to shirk it by way of an "ALR". I agree - if Nanos are too hard to maintain then people should place larger caches.

Good idea. It seems to be "about time" - as I know nanos urk a number of cachers - it'll be easier to create pocket queries that ignore them if they have their own size category.

Any hope of opening the competition up to the rest of the planet?? I'm sure the don't just sell Jeeps in the US.

Hi Simon, I've deliberately placed most of my caches (West Coast of the South Island) in scenic locations and most of them are relatively straight forward, because I know the region is frequented by tourists. I've found that the difficulty ratings are a good indication of how easy NZ caches are, although people do over rate the difficulty on some of the trickier caches. (ie: ratings of 4's for what should probably be rated as 3's. Most of the caches that I've done (set by other cachers) are at interesting places, which tourists might not otherwise find. ALthough caches in cities tend to emphasise the hunt rather than a scenic location. Reading cache descriptions and finder logs on caches that you're considering doing will help you sort the interesting from the mundane. Regards, Moneydork.

Why not make locationless caches go through the approval process that virtual caches currently go through? I have a LC concept that my local moderator likes (so I'm assuming that other moderators might also like), but can't even raise the concept for approval under the current moratorium.

I too would become a premium member, but for the need to use paypall (in my case from New Zealand). - Go for it GC.com, you need to make paying for membership easier for us.

Do you live near N66.31.46? I'm interested in doing the "Where's in a name" cache and figure that I'll achieve one of the longest distances possible by targeting N 66.31.46 in the Nordic region from my home in New Zealand. I need someone to travel to N66.31.46, take a photo of their GPS clearly displaying that co-ordinate and Email it to me. Please see the cache page for details. If you help me, you get to log the cache as well. Where's in a name cache http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=12627