When the United States unveiled its Global Positioning System to public use in 2000, few would have guessed it would unleash a hi-tech treasure hunting phenomenon that would sweep the world.
“Geo-caching” has even found a devout following in New Zealand, with hundreds of GPS-equipped people gathering every weekend to scamper across the countryside looking for hidden loot.
The worldwide game is played outdoors but starts with a computer.
The computer’s role is to get the GPS coordinates of the cache or waterproof treasure chest you want to find.
Geo-caching first arrived in New Zealand in 2000 and has been growing in popularity ever since.
There are now over 6000 caches hidden all over the country, many right in the middle of our biggest cities.
Ben Gracewood first caught onto the geo-caching craze while travelling with his family in Taupo.
“I had a look on the internet and found a nearby one, it ended up being in the Taupo Botanic Gardens which I had no idea existed,” he says.
“It was a beautiful view over Lake Taupo and that's when I think it clicked when I realised that not only is it about the treasure hunt it's also about finding these places you would never have normally gone.”