| | INTRODUCTION Within the history of the game of Geocaching, there are a few locations around the world that are particularly significant: All of these geocaches were hidden in May, 2000, within the first month of geocaching and they are all must-visit bucket-list locations for any keen geocacher. NEW ZEALAND  It should come as no surprise that New Zealand was at the forefront of this emerging hobby, and that thanks to Rotorua local Peter McKellar, we now hold this very important place in the history of the game. There is even a memorial plaque, and associated virtual cache, located at the site of GC45 in tribute of its significance in geocaching history. Now, 25 years later, the sport is not only still going, but it has grown and evolved into a worldwide pastime enjoyed by millions of geocachers, with over 3 million active geocaches hidden worldwide. The game has benefitted from 25 years of technological advancements, new and innovative camouflage and hiding techniques, gadgets and so forth, and myriad developments in game play such as Adventure Labs and other geocache types. This event is all about celebrating the game we play today, and the 25 years of history that have lead here. And of course, Rotorua is the ideal location for the event, to recognise its very important place in the history of the game – the location of the very first geocache hidden outside of the USA, the first advancement of the game internationally. BLOCK PARTY 2025 Back in December 2023, Groundspeak announced through a blog post that any 2025 event that qualifies for Mega or Giga status can instead be a Block Party event, with the Block Party icon. This is their way of having a worldwide celebration of 25 years, rather than one big event confined to Seattle, and available only to those who live close enough or are able to travel.  Previously, Block Party was a type of event hosted solely by Groundspeak near the HQ office in Fremont, Seattle, over the International Geocaching Day weekend in August. It was held 5 times from 2011 to 2015, and in total only 5064 geocachers logged “Attended” on one or more of these events, making it a pretty exclusive icon to have on their profiles. So the intention of this event – 25 Years of Geocaching NZ, in Rotorua – is to be a Block Party, and make the Block Party icon available to many more geocachers! And at the same time celebrate 25 years of geocaching here in New Zealand where the first geocache was hidden outside of the US. To achieve this, we need your help – if you intend to come to the event, please log your "Will Attend" as soon as possible to help us with our event planning! GPS ADVENTURES MAZE  Alongside the 25 Years of Geocaching event, and our intention to bring the Block Party icon to New Zealand, what better time to bring the GPS Adventures Maze exhibit to New Zealand for the first time! The GPS Adventures Maze is a very rare cache type - an interesting exhibit about Geocaching and the GPS technology we use to play the game, that can only be hosted alongside a Mega, Giga or Block Party event under specific conditions. Indeed there have only been about 50 GPS Adventure Maze icons that have ever popped up on the worldwide geocaching map. May 3rd and 4th, 2025, will be your opportunity to visit the first GPS Adventures Maze to be hosted in New Zealand and grab this rare icon for your profile! | Proudly brought to you by:  |
