Howzat?! #4 Aroona, Queensland, Australia
By Finbar57 on 21-Mar-23. Waypoint GCA68A4

At first,I was confused more than bemusedWhich I now know was a ruse To defuse any state of peruse-alSo let me then describe my sideBy juggling a rhymeIn a log that I write set backwards in timeYou see it wasn't todayThat I wrote what I wroteIn the note that is stored near the fork Of the oak.* Two steps up was all it took but some might still require a toot.**Getting ahead now though I amAs staring in consternation first had plansUntil suddenly it all made sense And I knew then wherein to commenceAll I had to do now was sit and waitFor a day my compadres could go out and playThen the day came And we all got excited To see if we could somehow go find itWe Counted and counted till our fingers ran outI offered some toes but they started to poutI offered some suggestions To the table and skyPerhaps we could ask a past finders adviceThis helped us immensely And it was reassuring to learnBetween us we couldn't tell a half from a thirdSo I already wrote aboutWhat happened beforeTo repeat it again here would be such a boreThankfully then we hadn't parked farSo we all started walking back to the carIt's about then I saw to my horrorBirds attacking a poor little possumOf course then we ran over to stop itAs I shouted frantically to get off itWe rang many numbersFor the wildlife officeBut they mostly ignored us Except to record usSadly this event had marked usAs indeed it did scar usSo we decided to call it a dayAnd make this the last one to play.Thank you, I thinkFor the puzzling sinkOf time this caused usMade slightly nauseous By the cute little critterThat just wanted dinner.*Not an oak**Tool of our trade. Apologies for cringe prose.

After a stroll around the coordinates were determined and the cache was spotted. Terrain looks a bit high for this one. Waited for geofriend to help. TOTT employed. Signed the log and returned to where I found it. Thanks Finbar57. All good with this cache and puzzle

I was up on the Sunshine Coast for event with GreenGecko1 and Muggle65 chasing a few mysteries. This was the next one on the list.Finbar57 thank you for placing and maintaining this cache for enjoyment of the caching community.

Out for an event today on the not so Sunny Coast. In the meantime we are out finding Puzzles. Quick find at GZ.

Out with Muggle65 and Brislions for some Mysteries today.Thank you for the fun

Found with Dora the Explorer! today. The ground was wet underfoot and everything soaking however when the cache was spotted, she had no hesitation in climbing the tree to grab the cache. It was her turn to climb anyway.The log was signed and returned as found.All is good with this cache.TFTC

What a day for a geocaching adventure! Despite the wet weather, I was determined to find this mystery cache hidden in the woods. Armed with my trusty raincoat and a willingness to get a little muddy, I set off on the trail.The rain made everything feel more mysterious and exciting as I trudged through the soaked underbrush, following my GPS coordinates deeper into the woods. The sound of raindrops hitting the leaves overhead added a calming rhythm to my journey.After some careful searching and a few slips on the slippery terrain, I finally stumbled upon the hidden cache. it was cleverly disguised to blend in with the surroundings. I carefully opened the container, feeling a sense of accomplishment at finally uncovering the prize.I took a moment to sign my name, noting the date and the challenging conditions I faced to reach this spot.As I resealed the container and hid it back in its hiding spot, I couldn't help but marvel at the sense of community this game fosters. Despite the rain and mud, I felt a connection to all the others who had braved the elements to discover this hidden gem.With a sense of satisfaction, I made my way back to the trailhead, feeling grateful for the experience and the chance to explore the great outdoors, rain or shine. This mystery cache may have been a challenge to find, but the memories made along the way were well worth the effort.Until next time, happy caching

Wandering around Caloundra in the rain today and made a short stop at GZ. A short climb, log signed and all returned as found.TFTC

When I was previously in Caloundra on 9/05/2023, I attempted to complete this puzzle as if it was a multi-cache, but there was an additional step required rather than just heading to the posted coordinates. With a nudge from the CO, its new starting coordinates were calculated, and today, we were able to collect the rest of the digits as intended.At GZ, the cache didn't take long to find, and a short tree ascent later, the cache was in hand. The cache container and logbook were in good shape. Thanks [Finbar57](https://coord.info/PR9RM8A) for the cache placement and ongoing maintenance.----------Today, I joined [georode](https://coord.info/PR2V198) on a trip north to the Sunshine Coast, with the Caloundra [Midday Meetup at Kings](https://coord.info/GCAF30H) event providing us with the motivation for our northern drive.Before meeting [georode](https://coord.info/PR2V198), I visited a few targeted puzzles in Bells Creek that I hadn't solved until recently, and it was a longer walk than I had appreciated. We then tree-fished a few geocaches in Baringa, before meandering through the vicinity before joining the event for lunch. We both had notional times to finish our day mid-afternoon with either promises made to the family or home chores to perform, so we utilised our remaining time visiting *Howzat?!* cricket series geocaches that we had solved, in addition to the three newly published *MakkuMob* geocaches.

Met up with geo-friends who were staying up the coast and getting a few Smilies in the area before heading back home.It was up there, log signed before replacing as found. TFTC

Found quickly on today's caching loop. TftcGeorode

Took advantage of an extended weekend trip up the coast. Out and about and caching with RoddyC Nice to get a smile this morning. Managed to get it down with a nearby natural Tott. Princess returned it to its hide.TFTCache Finbar57

Hatzofff and I are around Caloundra for a few nights.Nice way to end the morning before our lunch time event. Used a TOTT.Log signed and cache replaced as found at 11:20 AM on October 22, 2023. TFTC, Finbar57

Came to Caloundra for a walk along the beach then headed off to find a few caches. We arrived at the calculated wp and forgot there were some more steps to follow, so we stopped looking in the trees and started gathering numbers.

A great little field puzzle that we worked out with some discussion and then some recalculating of maths. Let’s just say I should listen to JDavs more

We took the long way round to GZ and soon spotted the cache. A fun one to end on, tftc Finbar57

This is the first of the Howzat series collected. At home sorted out the first step and with the help of google, managed to confer the location looks likely and picked up a few of the numbers. Had to arrive at the location to crack the rest of the numbers, which we did.

At the ground, found a lonely coffee shop opened that benefits a number of charities. With this brief detour then went back to hunting numbers with the cryptic clues given. Working independently Gcoven and I got the same final coords so off we went, fending off tradies and club officials doing something important that was beyond my feeble imagination.

With the right tree found, spotted the cache just out of arms length so up I went. All good with this puzzle and spot on coords. Appreciate the effort you put into this series Finbar57.

We the the ongoing horrors of eye surgery , it was with great happiness I accepted a morning out with ARF ti grab a cache or two. Bless him as he had to do most of the work today. Thoroughly enjoyed the ocean and a wee walk though. Fab multi!!! Only managed to get 3 howzats today but happy indeed to be out! Tftc and to the CO for his patience and assistance! Fave point

A day of caching fun with Beardman75 concentrating on the Howzat & Fab Four Puzzles plus a couple of trads that I tortured BM75 with…

It was a chance comment at a recent event that saw us pay more attention to all of this puzzle… didn’t stop us forgetting an important component which saw us examining, with some enthusiasm the wrong area…

Thanks Finbar57

Our initial plans changed and Peppa and I headed for Caloundra to find some recently solved puzzles. We wandered around and collected some numbers and quickly spotted it. Thanks for the fun Finbar57

Howzat?! #4
4.0/2.5
Micro
Mystery Cache

Lovely day finding caches with Snickersallan and grannysmith47 despite me worrying about the forecasted rain the day before. I needed to get 12 Smileys to get the second challenge souvenir on offer from Geocaching HQ, we did more than that! Happy dance!

Thank you for the cache Finbar57. That was an adventure!

A trip up to Caloundra to meet up with E_Smiley and grannysmith1947 for a day of caching. It was pouring rain all the way from the Gold Coast to the outskirts of Corbould Park, and then the sun appeared from nowhere! Thank goodness we never got to use the wellies, fowl weather gear, or the brolly
The majority of caches found today were in excellent condition and a real credit to the CO's who placed them, and we certainly had fun finding them all

This particular one had us confused on where to start until we had to resort to a PAF, must be colour blind, walked over the start several times, and was too focused on the light poles with numbers for no apparent reason!

Thank you, Finbar57, for this fun puzzle that we finished off in the dark with a scary tree climb, hanging onto a flimsy torch, but pleased to have finished off a good day on a high note!
A favourite point coming your way

TFTC smile 16397 out and about on a lovely day With Snickersallan and Esmiley sign as GS1947 on small logs lovely walk FP
Signed and replaced,
Thank you, Finbar57, for placing this cache for our enjoyment.

I had looked at this puzzle previously, and it read like a field puzzle following a trail / instructions, so it was one of the few *Howzat?!* puzzles that I thought I could complete today. After searching around at the posted coordinates and feeling perplexed, I read through a few logs and realised others had made the same mistake. Obviously, I didn’t get the memo that I didn’t need to go to the posted coordinates, so will have to return once reading the description a little better. Thanks anyway Finbar57 for the cache hide and ongoing maintenance.

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Today, with the Caloundra lunch event scheduled, it was an opportunity to take the kayak and paddle one of Sunshine Coast's rivers, subsequently Paynter's Creek was selected.
Whilst travelling north, I firstly stopped in Woombye for a couple of oldies and high Favourite Point geocaches, and then proceeded east to then kayak Paynter's Creek. Following the scenic and tranquil kayak, I proceeded south towards Caloundra grabbing a pie along the way and attended the Kings Beach [Rescheduled: Canuck in Caloundra - Meet & Greet](https://coord.info/GCA6MBY) event. With my remainder of the afternoon, I continued to target a few geocaches around Caloundra, Baringa and Bells Creek, before returning home.

Adventure Labs completed:
• [A Wander Through Woombye](https://labs.geocaching.com/goto/e03242dc-36f7-46e1-928f-46fad3ba8d66); and
• [Icons of Caloundra](https://labs.geocaching.com/goto/a3387d35-dca6-4b34-a46d-15bb3af0187c).

I can confirm now that there is nothing of any use at the given coords!! Had to PAF to get a start, oh thats easy when you know what to do. We are now in the correct location but there is a cricket match on (well it is all about cricket). Started to answer the questions when a gentleman came up to us and asked what we where doing, we explained and it turns out he was the groundsman who was very helpful. We colleced all the information needed and sat in the shelter to do the maths. After signing the log, we walked back through the cricketers outside the pavilion and got talking to the groundsman/barman and enjoyed the rest of the sunny afternoon with a beer and wine while watching the cricket. 'Hows that' for an adventure!!! Deserves a favourite point. TFTC Finbar57

This was an enjoyable field puzzle. With the right approach I soon had some numbers to work with that agreed with the checksum and then the final coords came out which looked like a likely place for GZ so off I went and so did the mower man! So after lurking around (collecting the numbers), hanging about in the shelter (working out the maths) and now looking up a tree I thought I should leave and come back another time. Fast forward to this morning and I signed the log and replaced as found. I think this was an easier one in the series and am pleased to get a smiley here. Thanks Finbar57 and a favourite from me.

I did this one with EJCat and friend who were very helpful counting and adding things. Talked to the groundsman to explain our reason for poking around and he was happy enough. Found the final in good shape so thanks for the series Finbar57.

**FTF** After a big weekend of caching, including climbing The Twins yesterday, I awoke to TWO new nearby caches. What a great start to the ‘work’ week! I looked at one and tried many things but couldn’t get anything that made much sense, so I opted for this. A field puzzle…Fun.

I hurriedly read through the information and discarded Approach #1. Looking back, it’s the approach I should have taken. I arrived where I thought I should be and found something useful but couldn’t get past that. After a while, I ended up contacting the CO, who said something that made me think a little harder. Duh! Of course. (Well, that was embarrassing). I’ve now been dropped from Opener to number 8.

So off I went to where I needed to be for some more information and, fortunately, also some much needed caffeine. Wandering around I had someone approach me who I hadn’t met before…the CO, who was just double-checking some information. After a chat, whilst looking around for any other cachers who were hoping to steal my hoped-for FTF, I continued on to get the required information. Thank goodness for the checksum, which I used to reverse-engineer a number (or two).

Then it was time to sit and do some maths. Again, embarrassingly, I should have been sent to the bottom of the batting order.

Finally, I calculated the right numbers and scored a ton. This puzzle took way longer than it should have and with way too many appeals to the Third Umpire. I really think Twelfth Man (or even thirteenth) would be more appropriate.

No TOTT required for this monkey. Thanks Finbar57 for your patience and for the very fun puzzle. It was such a lovely morning to be outside! FP from me

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