2009-05-05 -41 174

[edit] Participants

tjm1983 and a Ninja Geohasher who helpfully took some photos

[edit] Plans

After many long months, watching this mostly-water graticule, I was surprised to discover a hashpoint apparently in Lower Hutt, where I live. My hopes rose. I zoomed in. The hashpoint looked like it wasn't just in Lower Hutt, it was actually close to where I live. My hopes rose. I zoomed in more. It really was close to where I live, and might even be on a residential street somewhere. My hopes rose. I zoomed in more. It was on a hill, not a residential street. Those hills are covered in prickly gorse. My hopes fell. I zoomed in more. It was right next to a firebreak on the hill, not far above where the firebreak joins a residential street. I've walked past it several times before. My hopes rose. I started re-reading the Achievements, deciding how many I could plausibly get. A Couch Potato Hono(u)rable Mention seemed likely, for a start.

[edit] Expedition

This was my first attempt since 2008-09-22 -41 174. I've now obtained a Neo Freerunner, but we decided to try for a No Batteries Geohash anyway, based on maps and local knowledge. Since it was so close, we carried a camera and tripod, too.

We stood around discussing where exactly the hashpoint might be, chose a spot, and took enough photos for a complete panorama. The ninja also took a photo of me juggling. Then, I turned on the Freerunner to see how close we were. About 14 metres. Is that close enough for a no-batteries success?

I walked back down the hill a little, till the Freerunner was oscillating between 0 metres and about 3 metres. The ninja took a photo of me at the right spot, I planted a sign there, and took a photo of it. On the way home, I took a few more photos, and kept a tracklog of part of the journey back. At home, the Freerunner indicated we were about 475m from the hashpoint, but it reckoned we'd walked about three times that far.

[edit] Tracklog

Tracklog at openstreetmap.org (shows only the track (no background map), but you can download a gpx file, if you want)

[edit] Photos

A trig-point (geographical survey marker) near the hash-point
A panorama
Juggling
Only 14 metres away!
It said 0.000 a moment ago, honest!
Waving from the real hashpoint (taken without moving the tripod or zooming in)
The whole internet. All of it.
For the first 20 years of my life, I lived in a house near the centre of this photo, also close enough for a Couch Potato Honourable Mention