It was 2.30am in the morning.  We were fast asleep but then Kev was woken by his beeping iphone that was flashing messages.  He checked and two new geocaches had just been posted 10 minutes ago – GC29ZK6 Thornes Bay and GC295YX North Reef Surf Break.  Potentially two easy FTFs just waiting for us, and we do love going for FTFs!  As I turned around to curl back up and Kev agreed we weren’t going, it’s nice to know we are not yet at that FTF addicted stage – give us a few more months maybe!

Hope to go out today at a more reasonable hour!

Kev isn’t feeling well (sore back) and he said that even if there were some FTF’s tonight, we won’t be going.  The phone beeps and it is a FTF in Greenhithe, just up over the bridge for us – GC29D4K Bus’td (Auckland).  He gave a yell and all of Kevsteam and our youngest members Dion and Joshua, joined in on the hunt.  We were there at least five minutes before kiwicouple joined in.  After a torchlight search at the bus stop, kiwicouple found it and we all claimed a joint FTF.  A few more caches in Greenhithe were published but we decided to go home and tackle them in the weekend.

Saturday 29th May

We were out having lunch in Albany and on our way home we received a text saying a new cache was placed in Swanson – GC29BKP Coroglen (Auckland).  With a quick detour we went straight there and found the spot.  It was a micro cache at a park – and it was very tricky to find!  After a good 40 minutes in the cold we finally found it!  And the best thing of all – we were the first!  As of the 3rd June we are the only people to have found this cache, and four have logged DNF’s.

Later that night, more caches were published.  All were a bit too far to go out on a cold rainy night, but GC1JP35 Maori Bay surf break (Auckland) out in Muriwai was close enough to be local, and we thought we would have a great chance to be first to find as every one else would be out hunting the other ones.

We arrived to be the only car there.  It was very windy, almost thought Kev Snr and myself were going to be blown on the cliff!  After a 30 minute search back and forth in the dark, rain and chilly wind, we finally found it, and yes, we were FTF!  Kev was comfortable sitting in the car the whole entire time, providing us extra light from the headlights – thanks Kev!

Sunday 30th May

Today we were very lucky to go out geocaching with our Hamilton friends psychrn, who came up to Auckland for the day.  Our first cache was nice and easy GC121G8 No Fishing (Auckland).  The next cache, a puzzle, GC26Y1V Don’t be Square! (Auckland) was too tricky for us to find.  After a good 30 minute search we gave up.  During the search I went off track and got lost in between gorse, cutty grass and flax bushes which were all taller than me!  Still got the cuts up my arm and over my hands!

Next was the earth cache GC17G8K Lava In The Harbour (Auckland).  We bumped into two other geocachers who was also doing this cache – nice meeting them! 

Another quick and easy cache was found nearby – GCMK7G End of the Lava Flow (Auckland).  I love easy caches, especially when they are so obvious yet muggles are unaware.  While Kev and I sat down to enjoy the view, Kev Srn and psychrn went ahead to get two more caches, GC20KBE Roaming Free at the Reef (Auckland) and GC22THN Planes,Trains and automobiles (Auckland).

Next was some tree caches.  The first one was a quick retrieve GC1A0EP Reserved Trio I (Cron_a_LOG_ical) (Auckland).  The second of this series was a little harder as our GPS’s didn’t want to cooperate – GC1A0F0 Reserved Trio II (Pinga-Ponga-Punga) (Auckland), but I managed to find it in the end.

We then headed to Henderson where we went to a fantastic piece of sculpture GC1XDEX Bullocks! (Auckland).  Another nice easy find.  Next stop was a little harder, GC1NMWD Twilight of a Champion (Auckland).  It took less than ten minutes to find, but took at least that amount of time to retrieve it! 

A quick drive up the road lead us to GC1QE6M Henderson Heritage Trail-B7 Corination (Auckland).  Wasn’t too long to find this one, it’s amazing where you can hide those bigger caches.  The final stop was to let psychrn find the cache we had placed the night before – GC29BEK Western Travel Bug Hotel (Auckland).  It didn’t take him long to find it and I managed to discover a few more travel bugs who were booked in the hotel.

What a fantastic day out geocaching, and it makes a big difference and adds lots more fun when you go out caching with other people, highly recommend it!

Today was a great day as we accomplished two new cache types – a puzzle and a letterbox.  We started with the puzzle GC112P8 Crossing the T (Auckland).  The puzzle was a easy one to solve (and it has to be easy for us to solve!), and the cache was easy too with a spot-on hint.  It’s another one of those moments when you go “geesh never knew a park was here!”.

Next stop, our first letterbox GC1789W Mam, Upsize my Three Streams cache please?!(Akld).  Reading the recent logs they said the track was walkable but needs to be maintained.  Hmm so when we reached the “No Crossing” barrier we went ahead – but carefully!

Then we found the rickety bridge – oh dear!  I think the problem was the big trees falling down and hitting the bridge.

I sent Kev on the bridge first, he’s heavier than me, so if he doesn’t fall, I’ll be alright lol.

The bridge stayed intact so I carefully went over.  We were at GZ so started searching.  It took us awhile (we were at the wrong end) but there was no one we were going to leave without finding it – not only was it a letterbox cache, I didn’t want to return!  Kev found it and now we have an elusive letterbox cache!

Later that night, it was a FTF run.  We quickly went off to GC28WEN Water Baby Cache. (Auckland) when we were notified to another one, GC28Y59 Bridge NE1? (Auckland).  We continued going to the Water Baby Cache and we turned up to see rosmar and trav004 – familiar faces.  They were still hunting when we joined in.  Kev Snr was on the edge of the ledge when he stepped over a branch.  He put his weight on his other leg – which was in mid air, and of course he fell a meter down on the concrete path – don’t worry, the torch was still ok!

After a good five minute searching, rosmar did it!  We were so lucky we were here with them as it was such a sneaky hide!  Best thing of it, we were able to claim it as a joint FTF, yay!

We decided to take off to the next one over in Te Atatu GC28Y59 Bridge NE1? (Auckland).  As expected when we got there it was too late.  We found it just in time before the rain came, another easy find with a great sea view.

That was the end of a great geocaching day!

We were out in New Lynn for breakfast and noticed there was a geocache just up the road from us.  It was still early in the day so not many shoppers out who needed to park by the cache, so was a quick easy find with no muggles to disturb us – GC25K9D Hiding in the Heart of New Lynn (Auckland).

We went off grocery shopping and pulled into our driveway when we received the notification text of a new cache out in Greenhithe GC28HJF Horsing around (Greenhithe, Auckand).  We tooted for Kev Snr to jump into the car and we took off.  We found the location and went hunting.  We searched and searched and just couldn’t find it.  I was waiting for someone else to turn up to find it and we would claim a joint FTF but no one did.  A man on his bike with two small children interrupted our search, the owner of the cache!  With a point to the right direction we found it and we logged a FTF!  Nice meeting the owner too!

Heading back home to unload the shopping, after a short break we decided to find the Te Atatu cache that was published yesterday GC28HC7 What Wharf? Te Atatu North (Auckland).  A quick find and we left to travel bugs.

Next stop was our nemesis GC1M7VN Peninsular Unpuzzled (Auckland).  When we posted a DNF some others had found it after us, so it was time to get it.  We searched and searched and yet again we couldn’t find it, we were not happy!  We returned home defeated.

Later that night, our phone buzzed with a new cache back out in Te Atatu GC28K5Z Be Guided. Te Atatu North ( Auckland).  We quickly took off, but as we approached GZ we spied another geocachers car leaving -  no FTF for this one.  We were greeted by kiwicouple and we found it together.

Kev, Kev Snr and Ann (Mum and Dad) all attended the Hamilton event while I was still in Wellington at a three day conference.  They had loads of fun and I’m sad I missed it all (well not at missing out on the dancing!).  While down there it was a rainy day but they managed to get a few caches out of the way:

GCMJ1D Rocky Horror (Hamilton, Waikato)

GC1MVYT Just another Rose (Waikato) which had a fantastic disguised cache but Kev and Kev Snr were familiar with the type so managed to find it without any hassles.

GC25HK8 The Cache With No Name (Waikato)

GCRGTD Byrne Park (Waikato)

They also went searching for GC25HKD What’s the Time (Waikato) and posted a DNF.  Another geocacher posted a DNF and the owner confirmed it has been muggled and he will rearrange an replacement cache.

I arrived home after 7pm and a little later on we received the notification of a new cache.  It was in Greenhithe so not that far from us.  Once seeing the title GC28HJB "Speedy Gonzales" Greenhithe (Auckland) I knew exactly where it was as I used to live on the nearby street.  We quickly got in the car and zoomed there.  It was an easy find as we have seen a similar cache elsewhere and yes, we were FTF!  Just as we were entering in the find on the iphone another geocacher turned up to find it – lucky for us we bet him!

Friday – May 7th 2010

Kev and I were sitting at home this Friday evening when I phone texted us saying there was a new cache published.  We quickly jumped in the car with Kev Snr and went to the location.  We had a good 5 minutes of searching before we were joined by Rosmar.  Rosmar found the cache but logged it as a joint FTF – which we were happy to accept!  Our first FTF – yay!!!!!!