Event Procedure
We recommend you spend at least two hours (24 hour event) planning your route, making the day more enjoyable and rewarding.
You should plan your route carefully, aiming to challenge your map reading and navigation skills but staying within the safe limits set by the terrain and weather, and your experience and fitness. If your team lacks confidence in finding its way in moderate, untracked tramping terrain, you might confine your route to the more easily accessible check points.
Your team may visit any number of check points and in any order. Your aim is to maximise your score. The checkpoints each have a unique number and the score value is the first digit followed by a zero. Thus checkpoint number 23 has a score of 20 points and 91 a score of 90 points. Checkpoints numbered 100 or above are worth 100 points.
All teams start together. Concentrate on your own team plan. On the course do not try to follow other teams or get distracted by them, as they may have set a different route.
Tracks and fences may exist which are not marked on the map, and others are mapped that no longer exist. Tracks and fences may serve as useful navigational aids, but do not assume their detailed accuracy. In general use permanent features such as ridges and valleys that do not change.
There is a distinction between "the" and "a" in describing checkpoint locations. e.g. "The lone pine" means it is marked as a tree on the map, whereas "a lone pine" means that one exists but isn’t marked on the map.
Team members must always stay within verbal contact of each other on the course, and must simultaneously approach to within 5 metres of each checkpoint visited. At each checkpoint there is an orange/white flag tied to a bush or post etc. (usually at knee to shoulder height) and an electronic punch. These should be visible from at least 10 meters away, depending on your approach. As they have been placed in the field up to two weeks prior to the event, we cannot be certain that all are still intact. If a checkpoint is missing you must be able to describe its presumed location to the score keepers to be credited with the points. A photo of the location may aid in convincing the score keepers that you were at the correct location.
When you visit a checkpoint, punch your tag until you see a red flashing light (takes up to 3 seconds). Both wrist tags assigned to a team must record a visit to a checkpoint. Some checkpoints may have two punches. Use either punch, but if the light doesn’t flash use the other. If neither punch flashes, write down the 3-letter code visible inside one of them.
