Geocaching Australia

mtrax wrote:perhaps we can charter a plane from Sydney?

Its certainly an option that we've been discussing as the organising committee.
We'll wait and see where all the people registering interest are from before we approach the airlines though.

Going over on a NZ Mega Party Charty would be much fun!

Our web site http://mega.gps.org.nz has only been up and running for a day and already we 222 registrations of interest, 93 of which are from Australia.
Please keep them rollng in - remember, we need 500 to get MEGA status (and so get our cache page published now, 12 months ahead of the event rather than waiting another 6 months).

If people from Australia could post suggestions for cheap Commercial flights too

I'm tossing up whether to put in my intent or not. I'd love to go, but next year I'll need to use a lot of my leave, also unsure how the finances will be either after the wedding. My regular geobuddies, whilst they'd love to go too, probably wont, and I wouldn't want to travel 'on my own'.. Accommodation and travel considerations whilst I'm there is another 'problem'...

Anyone would want me to tag along with them for the NZ Mega?...

I think closer to the time we should put a list of people going so we can car-pool depending on how much caching they want to do etc..
ie there might a few people who want to team up for a few days either side of the Mega.

I see that Jeremy Irish from Groundspeak has replied to one of my facebook posts (on his wall) confirming that we's going to try to make it to NZ MEGA 2012!

Don't forget to register your interest everyone. http://mega.gps.org.nz

I am thinking of flying into Christchurch the weekend before and working down the east coast to Dunedin for the event, then back to Christchurch via Wanaka for the following weekend. Two weeks probably in a campervan, but might consider a normal car and motels.

Moneydork, if you can provide some information on what the free camping situation is like these days it would be appreciated. I have found various info online but not sure how up to date it is.

Alternative is to fly into ChCh then a domestic flight to Dunedin and stay in a local motel, but I would prefer to be self sufficient onsite for the socialising.

I'd recommend the fly into ChCh and drive south option.
It's what I'll be doing (as I am defecting to Australia later this year).

There is free and / or cheap campervan parking in most areas of NZ, though there is a bit of a local rebellion against freedom camping in some areas where campers have dumped the contents of their toilet system on the roadside rather than in propper disposal systems (which have popped up all over the country now).

There is campervan parking available on site at the Mega (but as far as I am aware there is are not powered sites - though there is electricity to the various cabins and scout camp buildings).

I have registered my interest.

My mum and sister are in Wellington, so I'll visit them either at the start or end of the odyssey.

There are quite cheap flights from Aus to NZ cropping up all the time. I just went over for Rugby World Cup, and booked 12 months ago and got 4 of us there and back at low cost.
Tip is not to leave it too late to book the flights. I'll probably stick to Air NZ after the QANTAS debacle.

Cheers
Graeme.

Not sure about holiday plans for 2012, or time off work, but we are thinking about a NZ fly away.... Won't know till after Ester if it will be a possibility for the Flipper's though.
cheers
Gayle & Mark

We want to go to this but are not going to book until the event has been declared a Mega.

Just updating from our Mega organising committee meeting in Dunedin today. We're now within 30 registrations of intent to hitting 500 - we're at 470. We are hopeful that we will have the Mega officially listed very soon (for those that are holding off) - but don't let that stop you registering your interest, it will get you on to an announcement email list, and assist us with our planning (for numbers etc). We will also be communicating more information in the very near future to help with travel planning, payment and the like.

If you have specific questions/issues you'd like to raise, please use our NZ MEGA 2012 forum.

We are also building up Frequently Asked Questions.

Now you're talking Within 30 sounds very promising..I'd better start saving!

squalid wrote:We want to go to this but are not going to book until the event has been declared a Mega.

That's why it isn't hitting 500