Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sunday 12 July - Fun Geocache

There has been one geocache that was hidden on 30 January this year that we haven't been able to do & it has been bugging us. This geocache has a level 4 difficulty for terrain (with level 5 being the hardest) & the reason is that it is on an island. Today we decided to take a crack at it. We got the little dinghy, that has an outboard on it, out of the garage & decided to see if the engine would still go. We drove around to Waterfall Creek ramp & launched off for Ruby Island. James was very excited about the whole expedition & was even more pleased when Scott let him drive the boat back again.

What I never knew about Ruby Island is that there was a cabaret built on the island during the 1920's & it attracted parties from the "mainland" until it was burnt down. All that remains now are the rocks showing where it would have been.


As a child we used to go across to Ruby Island & play in the water & catch cockabullies. I never realised that there was anything else to do on the island. There is a wonderful walking track there now, a loop one which only take 20 minutes to walk.

It was a fun cache to do & we were all very pleased to get this "closest to Wanaka house" one finally off our list of to dos.

3 comments:

loonyhiker said...

I was glad to read your post. I am just a beginner at geocaching and after reading this, I will try to get my hubby out this week to find some in our area.

Mel said...

Hi Katrina - please explain to this ignoramus - what is a geocache? (and I hope none of my former Dept of Survey and Land Info colleagues are reading this question!).

Unknown said...

Hi Mel,
A geocache is a plastic container that is hidden somewhere. To find where it is hidden you need a GPS because there is a website http://www.geocaching.com/ where someone has listed a geocache & what the corodinates are.

The above website has this description of what geocaching is:

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.