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  • Statistics
  • GoSA Grapevine April 2017 - All About The Numbers

    All About The Numbers
    Dönerstag Souvenir 2017
    CITO Weeks 2017
    Film Festival 2017
    Nelson Mandela Bay Annual Caching Weekend
    GoSA NewLogo Grapevine

    All About The Numbers

    We all know that geocaching is about the numbers and the statistics as much as it is about the finds, isn't it?  We asked our own South African stats guru, Danie Viljoen, to share some of his recent analysis with us.

    Cache densities in Africa
    It is one thing to know that South Africa currently has 14117 caches and say Egypt has 286. But how do they really compare if one takes their cache densities into account? The following map shows the cache density for the whole continent (and surrounding islands) with a 5km resolution:
    The real stars here are South Africa (at this resolution the highest density in Africa is in Port Elizabeth) and a number of the islands: primarily the Canary Islands and Madeira.

    Favourite caches
    Which South African caches got the most new favourite points during the last year?
     
    GC Code  Cache Name Owner  New FPs
    GC31WXR  Table Mountain Travel Bug Hotel CapeDoc  66 FPs
    GC5Y00Q  Tardis family Behrens   57 FPs
    GC5BWV4   UP PERISCOPE family Behrens  39 FPs
    GC5D3BX  The Vault Henzz  38 FPs
    GC548HP  Intersect 2.0 family Behrens  32 FPs
    GC60190  Signal the frog books his Licence  family Behrens  28 FPs
    GC5KD22  Geocacher By Night family Behrens  27 FPs
    GC1ABZK  Table Mountain - Cape Town spuzva  25 FPs
    GC51P0R  Muzzle loading Gun family Behrens  23 FPs
    GCVDHN  Sailors' Star vespax  22 FPs

    There can be little doubt that family Behrens is doing something special with their hides – they own 6 of the current top 10 caches in South Africa!

    Most finds in the past year
     
    GC Code Cache Name Municipality Owner Finds
    GC62NFH Birth of a gentle giant Overberg scubie999 231 finds
    GCMYYZ Table Top Trove City of Cape Town  Richter Family  202 finds
    GC31WXR  Table Mountain Travel Bug Hotel  City of Cape Town CapeDoc 193 finds
    GC37VF3 Tip of Africa Overberg Zephyr2 192 finds
    GC6JCHV V&A Waterfront: Bay Vista City of Cape Town SawaSawa 192 finds
    GC2CG7X Hiddingh Security TB Hotel City of Cape Town Mr Panda 174 finds
    GCVDHN Sailors' Star City of Cape Town vespax 143 finds
    GC77E Cape Agulhas Overberg Peter Scholtz 132 finds
    GC61VN7 Vertical Liftoff City of Cape Town Naets 130 finds
    GC4H10K GOS: Whale Crier Overberg Suikerbossies 128 finds

    For more interesting statistics about South African and African caches, visit the page on the Groundspeak Forums called Statistics - bend it anyway you like!

    Dönerstag Souvenir 2017

    Where in the world is Signal? In 2017, Groundspeak is celebrating geocaching around the world. You’re invited to join Signal the Frog® as he travels to different countries to geocache like a local. No plane ticket required! Signal’s first stop: Germany. On Thursday, April 13, players will gather to celebrate the 11th annual Dönerstag. Attend one of the Dönerstag events scheduled across South Africa to earn your souvenir.

    CITO Weeks 2017

    The 2017 Annual Cache In Trash Out Weeks are scheduled for April 22 - April 30 and September 23 - October 1. Watch our site for a list of CITO events as they get published. Isn't one near you yet? Consider hosting one then!

    Film Festival 2017

    Geocaching International Film Festival is returning for another year of epic geocaching moments captured on camera. Films need to be submitted to Geocaching HQ by August 1, 2017. Find out more.
     

    Nelson Mandela Bay Annual Caching Weekend

    The weekend of 24 to 26 February saw event GC6XE7Y, the 3rd annual NMB Caching weekend away, organised by PumTim and KitchenBoss. This year the event was held at the inniKloof camp site in the Gamtoos Valley.

    Once again this event was well supported with teams arriving from Cape Town, the Garden Route and East London to complement a number of more local teams from NMB and its surrounds.

    Approximately 40 new caches were placed in the area with a wide variety of cache types. As has become the norm at this event, it was possible to grab eight icons over the weekend.

    Cachers started arriving early with iPajero, Strandlopers w&e and k j being some of the first to park their vans and put up their tents. Most of the rest arrived on Friday afternoon with some Cape Town teams arriving late after a full day’s caching en-route to inniKloof.

    The main task for Saturday was to tackle the long walk to the inniKloof Waterfall cache (GC6BNN3). A good 7km (14km round trip) walk up a mountain, along the ridge and then down an almost vertical descent to a magnificent waterfall. Luckily the weather played along and we had a cool overcast day during a week that had seen temperatures in the upper 30’s.

    On arrival we were faced with a D4.5 container hidden by plainoldgraham, but that was only second priority as the first priority was to swim in the cool water and admire the magnificent waterfall. The fit people found it as they left almost at the same time as the not so fit arrived at the waterfall. The group really got spread out. Farm owner John acted as a magnificent guide on the trail and made sure everyone got there and back safely. The walk is well worth your while with some magnificent scenery along the trail. The waterfall at the end is the cherry on the top.

    While most of the group sweated their way to the waterfall some teams decided to rather cache locally. The Capetonians drove through to Port Elizabeth to grab as many caches as they could.

    Both Friday and Saturday evening saw a huge fire being made in the communal fire pit and lots of caching stories were told over a few beers and glasses of wine. In fact, the few glasses of wine might have been the cause of the serenading of some of the chalets late on Saturday evening (or was it Sunday morning?).

    Congratulations to the organisers. Another successful one. Looking forward to next year!


    Article submitted by ChrisDen

    We are always on the lookout for photos from events or cool caches, as well as any fun, interesting, unusual or exciting geocaching stories to share with the geocaching community.  If you want to share yours, send it to us by emailing it to our webmasters.

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  • GoSA Grapevine May 2017 - Big Blue Switch Souvenir

    Big Blue Switch Souvenir
    Three Million Geocaches
    Film Festival 2017
    Border Camping Weekend
    GoSA NewLogo Grapevine

    Big Blue Switch Souvenir


    Geocaching has evolved, and so have geocachers. On May 2nd, Groundspeak is celebrating the 17th anniversary of the birth of geocaching with a Big Blue Switch souvenir! Find any geocache or attend any event on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 and you’ll earn a new digital souvenir for your geocaching profile!

    What is “Big Blue Switch” day?
    On May 2, 2000, just past midnight, the U.S government discontinued its use of Selective Availability in order to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide. Twenty-four satellites around the globe processed their new orders, and instantly the accuracy of GPS technology improved tenfold. Tens of thousands of GPS receivers around the world had an instant upgrade. Prior to this date, only the military had the ability to receive accurate GPS readings. Now, the world and all its wonderful people could pinpoint their precise location. For reasons unknown, this is often referred to as the flipping of the “Big Blue Switch”.

    The very next day, a computer consultant named Dave Ulmer hid a black bucket in the woods near Portland, Oregon. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot, then posted the coordinates online.

    Three days later, the container was located by Mike Teague. Now, seventeen years later, geocaching has become a global phenomenon to get off the couch and get outside.

    The game has evolved, and so have geocachers: In the past 17 years, geocachers have reached many milestones including 3 million active geocaches, 7 million active geocachers, and over 22 million awarded favorite points. The Big Blue Switch souvenir is one more way to celebrate the evolution of geocaching!

    Three Million!

    Geocaching reached a major milestone during April 2017.  Three million active geocaches.  A big thank you to all the cache owners that helped this be achieved.
    Find out more.
     

    Film Festival 2017

    Geocaching International Film Festival is returning for another year of epic geocaching moments captured on camera. Films need to be submitted to Geocaching HQ by August 1, 2017.
    Find out more.

    Border Camping Weekend

    The Camping Weekend 2017 Areena Riverside Resort (GC6ZWE2) event was held from the 24th to the 26th March and is the third camping weekend that has been held in the East London area, with the first being way back in February 2009, Camp & Cache by iNokia (GC1KVK9).

    The weather for the weekend did not look too promising as we woke up to rain on Friday morning but fortunately by mid morning it had stopped and it held off for the weekend. Kingrobert from Port Elizabeth had arrived on Wednesday, then slowly the rest of those attending arrived. In the meantime two potjiekos pots, one a lamb and bean pot and the other one a chicken and mushroom were being prepared on Friday for those attending the camping weekend. Although there was a little rain in the evening this did not dampen the spirits as everyone huddled under the awning and gazebo to share the potjiekos. The one pot was scraped clean and precious little left in the other so it appeared that it was enjoyed by all. After much geocaching talk and socializing every one retired for the night to get some rest for the day that lay ahead.

    On Saturday morning the two teams from Port Elizabeth, Kingrobert and NaviMate, one cacher from Pretoria mart514 and nine local teams got together to solve the 20 Geo-Art caches that had just been published. Firstly we must say a big thank you to Pte Curb for reviewing and publishing the caches as requested. As geocachers we are deeply indebted to our South African reviewers who devote so much of their time to ensuring that we have the pleasure of enjoying geocaching. The Geo-Art series was based on two of East London’s historic claims “The world’s only surviving Dodo Egg and the discovery of the prehistoric Coelacanth”. Once the puzzles were solved the teams departed to find these geocaches culminating in finding the Dodo Egg and the Prehistoric Coelacanth final bonus caches. From the logs it can be seen that much fun and learning was experienced by the geocachers. Quotes from two logs “Lots of time and effort went into this Geo-Art and we are so lucky to have such great historical finds in our back yard” and ”Plenty of research and preparation for this very informative and historical significant series and the first Geo-Art in East London.

    On Saturday evening a communal braai was organized and while we waited for the coals to be ready we were treated to an amazing fire-dance display by teams Monti’s Adventure and Jou Doring. Monti’s Adventure also produced and handed out some great wooden geocoins/tags commemorating the weekend. Thanks too to NaviMate who sponsored bottles of water for Saturday’s geocaching and pineapples to enjoy with our braai.

    Sunday morning saw another 15 caches published, 10 in the Insect Series and 5 other, so it was a quick pack-up to get on their way to find these caches.

    In conclusion I think this local WhatsApp post sums up the weekend that was had by all “It was such a fun weekend with cool caches. Thank you team iPajero for organizing, catering, hiding and making this weekend all in all FANTASTIC”.

    Article submitted by iPajero

    All About The Numbers

    Remember you can get lots of interesting statistics about South African and African caches from the page on the Groundspeak Forums called Statistics - bend it anyway you like!

    We are always on the lookout for photos from events or cool caches, as well as any fun, interesting, unusual or exciting geocaching stories to share with the geocaching community.  If you want to share yours, send it to us by emailing it to our webmasters.

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  • GoSA Grapevine February 2017 - Geocaching Safety

    Geocaching Safety
    Weekend Events
    SA's Longest Caching Streak
    GoSA NewLogo Grapevine

    Geocaching Safety in South Africa


    How can we as South Africans make our Geocaching activity safer and more pleasurable? Read on, here we give some important tips and information which goes a long way to avoid those unnecessary trips to the ER, and advice on how to set up your ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts.

    Like most outdoor activities, Geocaching carries an amount of risk. You will often see on cache pages that there may be some risk involved in doing this cache and that you do so at your own risk etc. There are numerous aspects which come in to play such as activity levels, your own health status and especially where you will be caching. It is this last aspect in South Africa that is especially important as we have certain challenges that other countries do not have, they have their own again such as snow storms etc. Our challenges in South Africa include our lovely but sometimes dangerous African sun, dangerous animals, dangerous unmarked areas and lastly but not least our crime rate.

    That said, we thought it pertinent to recommend the following tips for when you go Geocaching, all as a helpful tool to make your experience safer and more pleasurable. Just in the last two weeks we have heard of a group of geocachers who were attacked by bees and another that encountered a particularly harsh weed that resulted in a prompt roadside haircut by her husband!

    So here is a list of things one could do to ensure your experience is reflected in a smiley and not in the newspapers (as fun as that may sound!).

    Make sure someone knows where you are going and when you should be back, especially if caching alone. If caching in a group, make sure the group knows how and where to get to your emergency information. This is often saved as an ICE contact on your phone which can also be accessed if your phone is locked. See this write-up in PCMagazine on how this is possible. Another option is an app such as “medical ID” which is also available if your phone is locked carrying important information about you.
    1. Be aware of where you are going to regarding any risks in that area. Read the previous logs! Google about what to expect there. There is lots of information on the Internet. Make use of it. Ask your friends that may have been there.
    2. Check your equipment and have backup if necessary. There is nothing like stopping at a great night-cache and your batteries for your torch are dead!
    3. Always have a backup plan and that includes how to get back to your car and under what circumstances. If you lose your geo-partner for example, what is the plan?
    4. Take lots of water and sun cream! You should also take whatever meds you may be dependent on; for example bees are a reality, if you are allergic, take your allergy medication with. You may think Faerie Glen Nature reserve is just an hour’s walk but if you are setting off at 11 am that hour becomes a very long hot walk!
    5. Know your limits! Even if you are within metres of that smiley but unsure whether you can make it, rather withdraw and re-plan.
    6. Be aware of ticks! These blighters are all over so have someone check you out for ticks when you are back at home.
    7. Have a daypack in which you carry your most important goodies such as a pen-knife, basic first-aid kit, gloves, something warm etc. Our summers are warm but nights can be cool, and if you are lost or stuck somewhere, you may need something warm. Also carry a sturdy walking stick. Unlike in New Zealand where most of the forest walks are smooth going, in South Africa they are not, and a twisted ankle is no fun!
    8. Be aware of the local inhabitants and possible no-gooders! Some people sleep in the strangest of places. See the cut-out below and keep that handy if you run into any trouble. Respect the law and if any law-enforcer warns you against entering an area, heed to it. That smiley is just not worth it!
    9. Lastly but not least ensure you have a decent communication plan, yes, take those walkie talkies, you’ve been itching to play with them, now’s your chance!

    Make use of this handy cut-out emergency numbers, save them to your contacts, and remember your ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact details!
     
    South African Emergency Services Numbers
    Police 10111
    Emergency/Rescue from cell phone 10177
    Travel doctor 0861 300 911
    Tourism Safety & Support Reporting 0861 874 911
    Road & Traffic Information/Reporting 084 3030 345
    Tourism & Travel Information 083 123 6789
    Telephone enquiries 1023

    Weekend Events

    There are several weekend events already published between now and July, which are always great fun:
    • GC6XE7Y - Camping inniKloof from 24-26 February near Port Elizabeth
    • GC6ZWE2 - Camping Weekend 2017 Areena Riverside Resort from 24-26 March near East London
    • GC6ZGGN - Tswaing Crater Sleepover IX, 2017 from 21-23 July near Pretoria

    The end of a major run


    The 20th January 2017 might have come and gone without it being a noteworthy day but for Gerhard and Marika who make up the caching team Spesbona it was a very unusual day. For the first time for over 3 and a half years they did not go out and find a cache for that day.

    Spesbona started caching on 4 May 2013 and found at least one cache a day until 19 January 2017. This streak of 1 357 days is the longest streak for any geocacher from South Africa.

    While chasing the streak Spesbona has also managed to complete the DT Matrix twice and accumulate over 430 FTFs. The number of FTFs is impressive because on days that more than one cache was published they would only go for one and leave the others for a later day.

    Doing one cache a day allows time for a decent log and Spesbona does spend time on writing a unique log for each cache. Their logs average 146 words and have plenty of pictures attached, over 4 000. Of course, there is an exception to this rule. Every now and again Spesbona goes on holiday to a location where there are large numbers of caches and has a splurge. On these occasions there will be some cut and paste in the log. In April 2015 they went on a tour and collected 968 caches for the month. The 2016 holiday was in July where they found 468 caches in the month.

    We asked Spesbona a few questions about their geocaching adventure so we could share it with you.

    GoSA: Who introduced you to geocaching?
    Spesbona: An old school friend, now living down under, posted on Facebook that she found a cache, and that got me interested.

    GoSA: You started your streak from day 1 of caching. Was this a conscious decision or did it just happen?
    Spesbona: It was the proverbial like a fish to water scenario. Just liked it from day one. On the way to work, or back home would stop to try and find a cache. Only realised there is something like a streak when I got introduced to Project-GC. By then the streak was already 30 days strong. Just love statistics, coupled with a “mild” case of OCD, that was bound to lead somewhere.

    GoSA: Your first cache was a puzzle, a type that lots of cachers avoid. Do you enjoy puzzles, and if so, why?
    Spesbona: Funny story. We started off with the GPSr I used in the car from work. Punched in the coordinates and we were on our way. Was a bit clueless. Did not know that you could pick the compass option, so we were more or less at a street address. It did not help that it was on a street corner. Had no clue what we were looking for. So actually, we could not find our first cache. Got back home and started reading up on other caches. Saw there was this puzzle one, and could figure out it was in the park, and it would be on the see-saw. That narrowed things down and it turned into our first find. Getting into puzzles at the start was daunting. People were doing it for a while and typically a new idea will build on an old one. So if you did not learn the ropes as they developed, you were in the deep end, and it was either sink or swim. Yes, I love puzzles. There are so many creative ways people find to hide the coordinates. It makes you think outside the box, and keeps the brain active. The best part is you can solve them at home, even during bad weather and in the middle of the night. To understand my feeling about puzzles, read my log on one of the first difficult puzzles I solved GC2T2E9 -The view at the top of the hill

    GoSA: During your streak, was there any day where you did not really want to go out and find a cache?
    Spesbona: No, that would have been the end of the streak. Must say we had a blast.

    GoSA: Were you ever tempted to log a cache on the incorrect day to save finding one for that day?
    Spesbona: No, that would be pointless. My OCD demanded a cache to be found. Besides this is an online game with a lot of people watching the stats. A bit silly to drag your own name through the mud.

    GoSA: Why did you stop and why on such an unusual number?
    Spesbona: For a long time we have realised that one day it would come to an end. 1357 just seemed like such a nice number, and we could end on our terms.

    GoSA: Did you physically visit a cache every day or were there some Earth caches or similar where you could log later to fill a gap?
    Spesbona: I know there are different ideas out there, but we log it on the day we visit ground zero. That way the statistics and the km’s travelled by the TB’s are all correct.

    GoSA: Did you ever run out of caches reasonably close to home? How often did you have to drive long distances to fill a day?
    Spesbona: First let me just say that the Port Elizabeth community has been great. We started just at the right time, with a lot of new cachers, placing a lot of new caches. That is the only reason we could keep on going for so long. Yes, we ran out completely at some stage. When we went to sleep that night we had no caches left in Port Elizabeth. The next morning still nothing, but later in the day there was some new ones. So the streak continued. We would plan well in advance, and would do longer drives on weekends, visiting family or a tourist destination. Longest distance on one day, to find one cache, was approximately 1200 km. Luckily it was a work trip.

    GoSA: What was the feeling you had when you woke up on day 1 358 and knew you were not going to do a cache even though there were still some available close to home?
    Spesbona: Peaceful and relaxed. The decision had been made.

    GoSA: What are your caching targets now that the streak is over?
    Spesbona: Solving a puzzle a day. Only joking. Hopefully get to place some more caches of our own. That has been on the back burner for a while.

    We are always on the lookout for photos from events or cool caches, as well as any fun, interesting, unusual or exciting geocaching stories to share with the geocaching community.  If you want to share yours, send it to us by emailing it to our webmasters.

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  • GoSA Grapevine February 2018 - What's that number?

    What's That Number?
    Cache of the Month February 2018
    Geocaching Weekends and Big Events
    GoSA NewLogo Grapevine

    What's That Number?

    Did you know that 2 135 new geocaches were placed in South Africa during 2017?  And that 165 336 finds were logged during 2017?  That the most found cache in South Africa during 2017 was GC31WXR, Table Mountain Travel Bug Hotel, and that 6 geocachers found more than 1 000 geocaches during 2017?

    To get all the details of these stats, and many more interesting stats about caching in South Africa, follow the Geocaching Statistics topic on the South African geocaching forums.

    Which South African geocacher has found caches in the most countries?  Who has the longest caching streak (1 357 days at time of writing)? Whose trackables are the most discovered?  Who has found the most DT combinations in one day?  For answers to all these questions, and many more, check out the Project-GC site, a statistical site full of interesting numbers that you can filter yourself to understand any number of geocaching statistics.

    Cache of the Month

    Awesome geocaches can often be described through amazing containers. However, many geocaches may not have innovative containers but are hidden in locations that bring you to a fantastic, off the beaten track spot. This month's Geocache of the Month is just that! We are proud to announce that The Resonant Circle, GC7CQJ8 as our February 2018 Cache of the Month.

    Congratulations to scubie999 on this hide which brings you to a very interesting spot on the south coast of Kwazulu Natal.

    Do you know of a cache that is worthy of the title of Cache of the Month? Please nominate it for the GoSA Cache of the Month by emailing the details (name, GC code) as well as a justification as to what makes it so amazing. Please include as much detail as possible even if it does include spoilers to help us make an informed choice for the winner - if possible please include a picture of the cache as well. The nominations we have already received this year so far will also be eligible for the March award, additional nominations for March must be submitted by 16 February for them to be considered. March is the last month we will be calling for general nominations, from April we will start with specific themes for each month.

    Please send your nominations to .

    Geocaching Weekends and Big Events

    There are several geocaching weekends coming up.  The first, over the weekend of 2 to 4 March is in Port Alfred, GC7H8H2 Annual event @ Medolino.

    The next one is over the weekend 13 to 15 April at the Ezemvelo Nature Reserve near Bronkhorstspruit, GC7F4D7 Ezemvelo Nature Reserve - weekend April 2018.

    The final weekend event currently scheduled is at the Tswaing Meteor Crater over the weekend 13 to 15 July, GC7H4NP Tswaing Crater Sleepover X, 2018.

    The next big event planned is the 2018 Jolly Jozi Jol, GC7DAJM. We are trying to get this one Mega status, which needs 500 will attends to achieve that. If you will be in Gauteng on 29 September, log your will attend now so we can get this event up to Mega status.

    We are always on the lookout for photos from events or cool caches, as well as any fun, interesting, unusual or exciting geocaching stories to share with the geocaching community.  If you want to share yours, send it to us by emailing it to our webmasters.

    {itpshare}

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  • GoSA Grapevine January 2020 - Welcome Back

    Welcome Back
    2019 Statistics
    2020 Festivities
    Meet ChrisDen

    GoSA NewLogo Grapevine

    Welcome Back

    We hope everyone in the geocaching community has had a good break and been able to find lots of caches wherever they may have travelled to.  If you didn't get away, we hope that at least you managed to find lots of caches.
     
    We see that Stats Guru Danie has started publishing all his analysis of the caching stats for 2019, and there seems to have been quite a reduction in the amount of geocaching happening, both with new caches being placed, and finds happening being at their lowest levels since 2016.  You can see all the stats here on the geocaching forums.

    2020 Festivities

    Geocaching is what you’ve made it. Entering into the 20th year of geocaching, Groundspeak wants to celebrate what’s most important: this community-driven game, and during 2020 will allow eligible geocachers to apply to host Community Celebration Events in 2020. These events will enable cachers around the world to commemorate the 20th anniversary of geocaching with a new icon and souvenir.

    This cache type was originally known as the Lost and Found Event Cache. It was created for events that were hosted by geocachers from April 30, 2010 to May 3, 2010 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of geocaching. Just 362 Lost and Found Events were held, so a very limited number of cachers earned the icon.

    These events have been allocated out now, and the full list of events already published is available at this link. Check back here regularly to find one near you.

    Meet ChrisDen

    This month our feature article is about team ChrisDen, who currently have 9 765 finds, 299 hides, and according to CacherStats are ranked 4th in South Africa.

    GOSA - Please tell us a little more about yourself/yourselves, who you are and what you do when you are not caching?     
    ChrisDen -  Denise and I are in our 60's and have been married for 40ish years. I retired a few years ago after working for the same firm for 37 years. I was a professional Chartered Accountant. Denise, unfortunately, will never be able to retire from her work as the homemaker. We have two married children who live overseas and three grandchildren. We keep ourselves busy by travelling extensively, both locally and overseas.    We cache as a team as we both enjoy it. There are very few caches that we have found where only one of us was present.

    GOSA - When and how did you get involved in Geocaching?
    ChrisDen - We have been caching since January 2013. We were first told about caching by a friend. My immediate reaction was that it sounded stupid as I had a mental picture of going to the coordinates and seeing a large container. I had no idea what ingenuity went into the hobby. We then attempted a cache using a Garmin Nuvi that was in street mode so took us to the point on the road nearest to the cache. Of course we had no idea where to look. We went home and then used the app to find a cache 100m from our house. Then we were hooked.

    GOSA - What has been your most memorable find? 
    ChrisDen - There are lots but when asked this question we normally immediately think of Mission 9: Tunnel of light - GC1169. To get to the cache you have to walk 3.6 km in an old train tunnel. Awesome experience. Another that I must add is Sentinel View GC185

    GOSA - Can you tell us about some of the interesting places Geocaching has taken you to?
    ChrisDen -  Phew, once again we have been to so many places as a result of geocaching. We use caching as our tour guide. The memorable places include the Oregon forests in the USA, the top of the Koffiebus mountain near Steynsburg,  the tip of South Africa in the Kgalagadi Nature reserve. We have even found walks and parks in our home town that we did not even know about.

    GOSA - What is your favourite cache type and why?
    ChrisDen -  Earth caches. The geological history of earth is fascinating and this cache type has increased our knowledge significantly. Our favourite containers are ones that are hidden in plain sight. It takes skill to hide those sort of caches so we appreciate them that much more.
     
    GOSA - What is your greatest Geo-Achievement?
    ChrisDen - We do not think in these terms. Caching is a fun hobby. It is sort of like asking what our greatest travel achievement is. There is no real answer.

    GOSA - Have you set yourself any Geocaching Goals? 
    ChrisDen - As an accountant there is always some stat that we are chasing. Calendar loops, DT matrix and so on. Currently we are filling our 6th calendar loop. 

    GOSA - Which caches are on your bucket list?
    ChrisDen - Match Stash - GC4D is top of the list. We need a cache placed in August 2000 to complete the full house of finding a cache placed in every month since caching started. There are only three other August 2000 caches and they are in the USA and we are not going back there in a hurry. 
     
    GOSA - Do you have any hints and tips you could share with the rest of the caching community?
    ChrisDen - I have lots but lets keep it to the main one. Play the game the way you want to and do not worry about the way others play the game. If you worry about others you will remove the pleasure of the game. This is the best advice I can give any cacher.

    The Bay Cache Bash

    Finally, remember that the Eastern Cape community is hosting the next big event in September 2020, and GC8G0ZR - The Bay Cache Bash has already been published and achieved 166 Will Attends at the time of this newsletter going to press.  If you want to join a fun filled weekend (if not longer) with fellow geocachers from across the country, start planning your trip now, you have plenty of notice.

    Cache of the Month

    January's Cache of the Month called for nominations for the best cache of 2019. We are proud to announce that GC84KPK - The Nest TB Hotel, created by DAandDI, has won this COTM. This cache is impressive for the great attention to creative detail that went into the creation of the cache. It is a must visit stop over for any weary traveller (TBs and Geocoins) on their adventures travelling from cache to cache. .
    Next month we will be looking to award the Cache of the Month to the best event that took place during 2019, so it must be an event that happened during 2019. Please send your nominations to .
     

    Mega Merchandise

    The GoSA Store still has some Jozi Jol Mega 2018 Silver Geocoins for sale, you can place your order online.  We also have some stock of geocoins from the previous Mega events available. There is also very limited Jozi Jol Mega 2018 stock left, check the GoSA Store for details of what is left in stock.
     

    We are always on the lookout for photos from events or cool caches, as well as any fun, interesting, unusual or exciting geocaching stories to share with the geocaching community.  If you want to share yours, send it to us by emailing it to our webmasters.

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  • GoSA Grapevine June 2017 - Canada Day Souvenir

    Canada Day Souvenir
    Website Updates
    More About the Numbers
    World Wide Flash Mob 2017
    GoSA NewLogo Grapevine

    Canada Day Souvenir

    As Signal continues to celebrate geocaching around the world, our favorite frog will be visiting Canada to cache like a Canadian and celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. As part of the celebration, you can earn the Canada Day 2017 souvenir by hosting or attending an event on Saturday, July 1 or Sunday, July 2, 2017.

    We’re excited to join Canadians in celebrating their birthday this July, and we hope you’ll join us! Join one of the South African events, find out more here.

    Website Updates

    Groundspeak has made some recent changes and updates to the geocaching.com website.

    Profile and Dashboard
    To build a foundation to better support geocaching friendships on Geocaching.com, Groundspeak have updated the Profile and Dashboard pages on their website. This allowed you to add a newsfeed to your Dashboard, that keeps you informed about what your friends are up to.  Find out more in their detailed Blog Post and try the new features.

    Help Centre
    The Help Centre has also been updated.  Looking for information or tips on geocaching?  Check the new help centre out.

    More About The Numbers

    Remember you can get lots of interesting statistics about South African and African caches from the page on the Groundspeak Forums called Statistics - bend it anyway you like! Our local Stats Guru, Danie Viljoen, has shared some interesting stats with us again this month.
     
    How do the numbers of cache types in South Africa compare to the rest of the world?
    I compared the numbers of the major cache types in South Africa with their prevalence in the whole world. Based on the total number of active caches in South Africa, the following graph shows the result:

    What this means is that we have fewer multi-, letterbox, mystery and Wherigo caches than our total number of active caches would suggest. (A quick remark about Events: This comparison only considered active caches, i.e. future events that have already been published. I suspect this could be seasonal, and that the time of the year counts against us.)

    This is compensated for with more than average numbers of event and EarthCaches. EarthCaches especially are almost three times as common here as in the rest of the world.

    To get in line with the rest of the world, we need the following changes in cache type numbers:
    • 329 more mystery caches
    • 63 more multi-caches
    • 21 more letterbox caches
    • 9 more wherigo caches
    • 6 fewer events
    • 248 fewer EarthCaches
    • 280 fewer traditional caches
    The oldest active caches of each type in South Africa:
    • Traditional: GC185 - Sentinel View, in Cape Town. Placed 18 January 2001.
    • Virtual cache: GC31AA – food for thought, in Nelspruit. Placed 10 January 2002.
    • Multi-cache: GCGYQ4 - Urban Tag #1, in Pretoria. Placed 24 September 2003.
    • Mystery: GCH26T - Reporters Riddle – Final, in Roodepoort. Placed 12 October 2003.
    • EarthCache: GCPX24 - Vredefort Koepel Earthcache, in Vredefort. Placed 24 July 2005.
    • Letterbox: GC12G1D - TBB'nB II, in Nelspruit. Placed 28 April 2007.
    • Wherigo: GC1V8KT – Irish Quest, in East London. Placed 29 June 2009.
    Content submitted by Danie Viljoen
    World Wide Flash Mob
    The WWFM XIV events are happening on the 10th June 2017.  Find out more here, or check out our events listing to find one near to you.

    We are always on the lookout for photos from events or cool caches, as well as any fun, interesting, unusual or exciting geocaching stories to share with the geocaching community.  If you want to share yours, send it to us by emailing it to our webmasters.

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  • GOSA Newsletter - September 2014

    KZN MEGA - GC4WN8A

    The KZN Mega is almost upon us.

    Attending a MEGA event is one of those very rare geocaching events that does not come along often.Be sure to go and register on www.megakzn.co.za as soon as possible. Book yourself at least 1 of 4 South African designed coins. A must have for any African geocacher.
            

    The KZN Mega also offers a rare chance to get 10 ... yes 10, icons on a single day. Some more info on the KZN Facebook page.
    Lab Cache
    One of the cache types will be a 'Lab Cache' and only available for the duration of the MEGA.
     
     

    SA Geo Stats


    Number of active South African Mystery caches per Difficutly/Terrain:



    South African Mystery caches with the most Favorite Points:
    1.  GC3KM3K  Da Vinci Code                                 Gauteng      40 FPs
    2.  GC20XJH  Ipanema                                       Free State   39 FPs
    3.  GC2WJ2X  Maps et al                                    Western Cape 36 FPs
    4.  GC442JW  TeamDJ's Puzzle Quest #4                      Gauteng      34 FPs
    5.  GC3NMFK  Wie-se Clock                                  Gauteng      34 FPs
    6.  GC1WBRJ  Longfinger                                    Free State   33 FPs
    7.  GC3X44Z  MEGA SA 2012 - The Needle in the Haystack     Gauteng      31 FPs
    8.  GC3RQNP  TeamDJ's Puzzle Quest #1                      Gauteng      29 FPs
    9.  GC3WZBP  See no Evil, Hear no Evil……..Speak no Evil??  Gauteng      28 FPs
    10. GCV8C5   Lost Bomb                                     Gauteng      27 FPs
    
    More info on the South African Geocaching forum 
     

    NORTH WEST

    Potchefstroom hosted its first set of events on Saturday, 30 August 2014. They were well attended by most of the locals and some out-of-towners. First, was a breakfast social event at the local Mall and second was a CITO at the nearby park on the Mooi River.
    PotchefstroomMuch fun was had chasing some new caches which were published that morning. Hopefully there will be more events in the future, in this great, caching town!

    VAAL TRIANGLE

    The growing Vaal triangle community will be hosting their 3rd event this coming weekend, Saturday, 6 September 2014.

    7 SOUVENIRS OF AUGUST 2014

    Did you participate and get all the souvenirs of this challenge?
    Are you one of the 67,000 geocaching teams that have completed the Souvenir Challenge? Please let us know via email at: .

    EASTERN CAPE

    PE will be hosing 2 events in September. The Amazing Iconic Race and a CITO Alien Plants Rock. Both on Wednesday, 24th September.

    CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME

    If you would like to share NEWS from your region, or any other geocaching in SA story, please send an email to:
    .
     

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