As the title says, don't panic. The forums are being shifted to a new server. The DNS change has already taken place, we're just waiting on the forum software to be up and running again.

Update 1730: After a false start, this should be resolved in a few hours.

Please note that the content management software of the main website is being updated during the holiday season. You may find some irregularities until such time as the site is fully restored.

Following the Police and Bomb Squad callout centred around a geocache in the middle of Auckland, the NZ Recreational GPS Society would like to clarify some aspects of the event. The geocache container was a small round plastic box containing a logbook and collectable coin, attached to railings by a magnet. It has now been removed by the police. It is not a tracking device as suggested in the media, and it does not contain electronics. It is an inert plastic box.

There are times when stealth used hunting a geocache can be mistaken for suspicious activity or the container mistaken for an unsafe object as has happened on this occasion.

It is unfortunate that a geocache has been mis-interpreted as a potential security risk. Events such as this also serve to remind geocachers that the placement of a geocache should be considerate of security concerns, and the container should not be able to be confused as a security threat.

After a number of years of service, nandor has decided to stop maintaining the NZ Caches website that was hosted on the GPS Society's website. A long time ago there was no easy way to map New Zealand geocaches, so nandor created NZ Caches. Over the years, better mapping functionality - particularly with Google Maps and Google Earth - has removed the need for him to continue to provide this free service with declining usage.

Please ntoe that the 2007 Fern Geocoin has sold out and no more are available.

The 2007 Fern Geocoin is now in production and should arrive in New Zealand within 4 weeks. These coins are trackable on geocaching.com and will have their own icon (which is still being finalised).

Ordering

We are now accepting pre-orders from financial members of the New Zealand Recreational GPS society only.. There is a limit of 10 coins by pre-order per member. To place a pre-order, please Email nzgeocoin (at) gmail.com - this email address will not be manned all the time, but we will check it reguarly. If you have a general enquiry, please contact us in this forum thread.

To Do Item's
- add pictures to main website header
- add weblinks from previous site
- add society reports etc from forums

If you've come here after seeing the CloseUp article on TVNZ - welcome!

The best way to find out more information about GPS and geocaching in New Zealand are these few links below. Also, check out our page on GPS activities too.

• GPS.org.nz forums - this is where you can meet Kiwi geocachers, ask questions and find out more from the friendly community. You can register here (it's free).
• geocaching.com - one of the most popular geocaching directories

Donations are being solicited by the Society towards purchasing one or more GPS units to be sent to Sri Lanka to help with the recovery effort following the Boxing Day earthquake and resulting tsunami.

More details can be found in this thread in the forums.