+edscott Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 I am coming over in a couple weeks and plan of finding a few caches while I am there. I never use a GPS here, but instead rely on the aerial photos that the US uses to produce their Geological Survey maps. I've been printing out a few NZ cache pages and Google maps to bring along, and noticed that if I request the hybrid version; that is the satellite photo with the road network overlaid on it; that the roads on the drawn map and those I see on the ground do not match up very well and that the position of the box showing the cache is tied to the road layer not the satellite image. So far it appears to be somewhat predictable that is the box is really west of the Google marked spot something like 50-100 meters. All that I have checked so far are on a ridge S of Christchurch. Perhaps the variation is random from image to image or area to area. Anyone have any experience with this? Quote Link to comment
+GSVNoFixedAbode Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 (edited) Gidday edscott, The Christchurch area is rather cache dense so you'll have quite a bit of fun I suspect! The Google Maps images can be anything from 5 - 50 metres (or more) out of alignment with the images, just depending on the area and source of the images. You're right about the roading layer - that'll match up with the cache location pretty much spot on. [Edit]Oh, and while the images in most areas are good enough to count the sheep, others are just an overall blur and not worth the time. Example: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mossburn,+NZ...p;z=15&om=1 Got a big trip around the country planned or just a flying visit (Christchurch/Dunedin)? Cheers, G. Edited December 31, 2007 by GSVNoFixedAbode Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 Thank you for the information. I feel a bit more secure about being able to find some without resorting to using my son's GPS. He lives in Christchurch, but we are going to tour on our own during the week and spend the weekends with him in the mountains to the west. We probably won't get as far south as Dunedin although he lived there for a few years and may want to show us around there as well. Quote Link to comment
+rowanf Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I'm heading over soon myself and Christchurch looks low on caches compared to Auckland, Napier & Wellington, the other places we are visiting. At least when judged by our hotel areas. *grin* Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 I'm heading over soon myself and Christchurch looks low on caches compared to Auckland, Napier & Wellington, the other places we are visiting. At least when judged by our hotel areas. *grin* We're not really concerned about the number of caches we can get. One find lets us color in a new country. My plan to to find nice "tramps" that suit our interests and log any caches that happen to be on our way. Maybe we find 5, maybe we find 50.. It will be a great vacation either way. PS... We've already been warned not to call our style of "geobag" by the typical American term in public... Quote Link to comment
AllanF Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Just started Geocaching & have sucessfully done six finds since the end of the year without having used my GPSr yet, just relying on GoogleMaps. You shouldn't have any probs. Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted January 5, 2008 Author Share Posted January 5, 2008 The biggest problem I see with Google from here is that huge box covering ground zero. I'm used to an X with a hole in the center which sometimes shows me the right rock. I'll know more about it by next Friday or Saturday. Quote Link to comment
+squashman Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 (edited) PS... We've already been warned not to call our style of "geobag" by the typical American term in public... A bit off topic, but I was wondering if you can explain your postscript? I am heading to Christchurch in march and hope to grab a few caches. Can you explain the warning you recieved, so that I too can avoid any mistake? Edited January 19, 2008 by squashman Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 PS... We've already been warned not to call our style of "geobag" by the typical American term in public... A bit off topic, but I was wondering if you can explain your postscript? I am heading to Christchurch in march and hope to grab a few caches. Can you explain the warning you recieved, so that I too can avoid any mistake? PM Sent.. Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 We are finding that the google maps/photos of NZ are off about as I calculated while studying them in the US. Now that I'm here without print capability I'm just making a hand sketch of the area with the adjustments built in and it is working . One DNF so far, but I attrubute that as much to the excessive heat of that day as to the map. Quote Link to comment
+Skytracker Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 PS... We've already been warned not to call our style of "geobag" by the typical American term in public... LOL Back in 1990 I toured the country with a team from Disneyland. They included Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Goofy, plus some support staff. They were using the common American term you speak of and you should have seen the look on their faces when I told them what it meant here They were absolutely horrified at what they had unwittingly been referring to, as it would have been most un-Disney. Quote Link to comment
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