Nic Vallance:

Nic would really like to encourage people to go to NZ's wild places and enjoy them, and reminds New Zealanders that "there is something for everyone out there, for all levels of fitness and interest. You can take a five minute walk to a breathtaking waterfall from a carpark, or you can travel into the heart of our wilderness for days or weeks at a time.  It's your country, get out there and enjoy it!"

Sounds a lot like geocaching? Huh?

DOC (Department of Conservation) have recently placed their first geocache. The cache is on Matiu-Somes Island in Wellington Harbour.

Read about it here (In search of a new hobby?) on DOC's Conservation Week blog .

The time and effort that several Kiwicachers (both registered and financial) have put into this and other upcoming DOC initiatives is greatly appreciated. As is DOC for recognising and embracing geocaching as an activity.

Is DOC ROCS an apt slogan?

This is lifted straight from the weekly geocaching newsletter. And worth reiterating here...

When a geocacher posts a “Needs Maintenance” log to your cache page, the page displays a Needs Maintenance attribute (a colored cross).  To let other geocachers know that you have fixed the maintenance issue, you need to remove the Needs Maintenance attribute by posting an “Owner Maintenance” log. You must take this step even when posting an “Enable” log, as this does not automatically remove the attribute.

From the Knowledgebase – Caches that Need Maintenance