GoSA: Please tell us a little more about yourself/yourselves, who you are, where you are from and what you do when you are not caching?
roadrunred: We have lived in Knysna since 2004 when we moved here from the UK. I (roadrunred) used to take groups of motorcyclists riding around the Himalayas and South East Asia but I have now hung up my boots though I still ride a bike in SA (a Triumph of course). My daughter (Annabel / no caching name) finished her Matric exams last year and was on her way to becoming a dive instructor before the pandemic struck in March. Next year she will be studying design in Stellenbosch. I hike a lot with the Mountain Club of South Africa, and I combine my hiking activities as much as I possibly can with geocaching - most of my hides are on the tops of distant mountains. My daughter likes surfing, spear fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving so pretty much anything to do with the ocean.
 
GoSA: When and how did you get involved in Geocaching?
roadrunred: My first geocaching experience wasn’t quite how most people get introduced to the pastime. I decided to hike up Peak Formosa and was aware that there was a geocache (GC4TMME) at the top. However, I didn’t in those days have a GPS or a decent cell phone with satellite location capabilities. I didn’t even have the cache description so on getting to the top (completely exhausted of course) I had no idea where to start looking. I found the summit book and signed that half knowing that it wasn’t the cache. Only when I got back home could I check on the internet whether I had found the cache or not and of course my first log had to be logged as a DNF. After that I secured a GPS and started to take things a little more seriously! That first caching experience was back in April 2016 and it took 2 and a half years before I was back up Peak Formosa and was able to claim it as a smiley 
 
GoSA: Please tell us about Ashas Creation…
roadrunred: Ashas Creation is a collaboration with my daughter so on the one hand we have the Designer and on the other hand we have the Geocoin collector ( I think I qualify as an addict as far as geocoins go ). It started in earnest during lockdown when we were sitting at home with lots of time on our hands. This is our first geocoin but depending on how well it is received by the public we hope there will be many more. Asha is a Swahili word meaning "life" and we thought it appropriate to reflect an African element in our name.
 
GoSA: Please tell us about the Geocoin that you have designed. Any specific reason for JoJo the Magician?
roadrunred: JoJo is a magician because he can turn up in a number of different guises. On the back of our first JoJo the Magician geocoin is the inscription - If you don’t believe in magic you will never find it - this in a way sums up the geocaching experience for me as when I am out geocaching I often feel as if I'm on a different level from the normal people around me going about their normal lives. It makes you look at things from a completely different perspective and I often feel as if I am in a different dimension. So, for this reason geocaching is a bit like magic and you’ve got to be part (the believing) of the geocaching community to really get an understanding of what it’s all about (the finding). 
 
GoSA: Where can the coin be purchased? Will it be available through any of the local Geocaching coin suppliers?
roadrunred: The coin will be available only on our website ( http://www.ashascreation.com ) - it’s being produced by Craftgenix in Scotland and all shipments will be made from the UK. It just simply isn’t practical to get it mailed to or from South Africa with the state of the postal services here and couriering would just make it uneconomical. However, I will of course access to these coins and if people in South Africa want them, I’m sure we can make a plan. 
 
GoSA: Are there plans for other coins to be designed?
roadrunred: We are working on our second design now and I am pleased to say it will have an African theme. I can’t give too much away at the moment as I think part of the fun of designing is the secrecy that comes with the production and eventual reveal.
 
GoSA: Are you an avid geocoin collector? Is this what sparked the idea to design your own coin?
roadrunred: Yes, I think I can safely say I'm an addict - there are so many different aspects to geocaching which is what I like about it. There are those who are mad about stats, others whose first priority is FTF's, some who like Earthcaches, some who like designing containers for hiding and so on and so forth. I suppose I fall into the category that likes an excuse to hike up a large mountain in the middle of nowhere and I also fall firmly into the coin collecting element.
There are certain types of coin that I prefer over others and I suppose it was the challenge to join these designers and pit our ideas and skills into the arena with them.
 
GoSA: In your opinion, why do you think so many geocachers have such a love for geocoins?
roadrunred: I think there’s always been something nice about holding a coin in your hand whether it is of monetary value or not. Add to this the element of hiding and finding them and the fact that most coins are trackable and thus create their own history which can easily be looked up and followed. 
 
GoSA: Are there any hints and tips that you would like to share with the rest of the caching community?
roadrunred: Having been involved with producing a coin it really opens your eyes as to what can be and what has been achieved in some coin designs. Suffice to say that there is quite a lot more to it than a pretty design so perhaps next time you hold a nice coin just consider how the particular effects have been achieved. You might not know all the answers but at least it should make you ask a few questions from those who do have some experience.