Bob Jordan has sent me the story of his exploits in finding my divine stash. Just shows that finding the stash is one thing... finding your way home is another...
Thought you might all enjoy.
Peter,
Thought that subject might grab your attention. Myself and two friends visited the divine site yesterday. A lovely piece of bush. I believe we were first as there are no other entries in the book, although there is a kit of tools (screwdriver type handle and lots of 'bits') there that is not entered in the book - perhaps your mistake?
We left the lake at 10.15 and got to the stash at 11.35 with the above four bearings and one failed attempt.
That is a bit of a beeline is it not.
Stash seems in good nick although the duck tape is going to be a problem after a few more visits. Perhaps next person should take a small roll.
We took the chewing gum and left a pen and a choccie bar. Didn't really feel like taking much - just getting there was enough. It is a lovely tree just to the North of the site.
On the location, we had difficulty getting a good fix at the site but the roughies we got suggested that the location may be a bit south of the true divine position. On reflection we should have gone back to the previous site and done a bit of maths. Funny but our morning sitings had a lot of trouble getting past two satellites. In the afternoon we saw 5 or more often and quickly.
Our fun began on the return when we left the stash and headed by gut feeling to the East and drifted much too more to the SE then we should have. The going was really good and we flew through the bush and probably from this velocity overshot a bit. The stream out of the lake is dry I suspect and we missed it and went across into the valley to the south and east of the lake where we spent a few hours with impending dark looming strongly in our minds. We did a lot of stuff up and down that stream still thinking we were in the main stream area and as Andrews Garmin II+ did not have NZMG we had to do a lot of interpolation to find the position on the map. We had also not made the various points we had found into way points so had little hold on reality other than the road end and the stash site. In the end we marched a compass course back along the line to the stash with about a 20s extra northing to make sure we hit something we knew and finally stumbled onto the track about 5 minutes from the lake. Got to the bush edge at 5.10pm with dark imminent. We need to do a little more discussion between the three of us on the mistakes we made but all of us found it a very valuable lesson. Both Andrew and I are reasonably experienced in the bush and Markus has experienced the bush and veldt of Australia and Africa so felt we were not exactly dummies. Also, I think out technological backgrounds made us confident that we could suss out the details of the GPS as we went along and that proved wrong. We were left in some nether world between the familiar and the confident space that GPS gives you.
I intend to write this up in a little more detail both for our own benefit, and to stress your words about the site being wild bush that only experienced trampers should enter. Briefly our mistakes
lack of confidence with GPS failing to march a line back from the stash failure to put in intermediate way points lack of NZMG to locate ourselves
There are others and we will go through them.
We had also intended to pop over and visit your other stash site but the events of the day prevented that - another day.
All in all an amazing day and we thank you for your part in setting up the site. It is a beauty!
I am now intending to set up a stash on the south side of Ruapehu at a very special place that I know. It is probably above winter snow lines so will have to wait though. I am having uncertain thoughts about the Kawhia divine site as it seems to be just up a farm valley on a farm track. It raises all sorts of access issues and I am not sure I can be bothered with that. It is probably not 'exciting' from the farmers point of view as we are basically inviting odd-bods in to his property at any time, and this may be less than desirable in lambing time etc. Your thoughts?
As a result of yesterday I am spending a day at home 'sick'. Had a lot of sweating and fever in the night - perhaps a dehydration thing - is that possible? So I am writing this from home. If you reply please reply to all addresses above as the other will be dead keen to hear from you too.