QB Free-Day

Details

Sat 30 May 2020 00:00 — Mon 01 Jun 2020 23:59

Lower Hutt

Event information

This event has passed.

QB Free-Day

Post-Lockdown Orienteering and Rogaining Challenge
Saturday 30th May to Monday 1st June 2020

A three-day challenge to ease back into orienteering or rogaining at your own pace. Complete one or more 60-minute urban score events, sometime over the long weekend. And for those who know what the "E" in rogaine stands for, complete SIX of them.

OHV has 20 mini rogaines prepared for secondary school rogaine familiarisation between 2011 and 2017, and about 10 of them have been checked over and given a tick for current conditions. Select and print your own maps from the internet. Use the cellphone app MapRun to score yourselves. Or simply use the control list to answer the simple questions and self-report results. No fees, no rego, know who's in your team, and keep appropriate distancing from others. Solos are fine.

These mini rogaines are largely urban, with a small amount of town belt type bush. They are easier than orienteering score events, and should suit all but those who insist on difficult navigation. And as for physical challenge, you don't HAVE to spend the whole 60 minutes. And you can do anywhere from one to SIX of them.

Now for competition-freaks, we'll publish a number of results.

Highest score for a single rogaine. Yes of course the events aren't identical, you'll have to study the 10 courses to find the juiciest, and then hare round it.
Highest total score for three different courses. Any three, any time in the weekend - one a day, or whatever you like
Highest total score for six different courses. You'll have to choose your courses, the optimum schedule, controls within each one, and then last the distance! This strategic challenge is in the spirit of OHV innovations like the five-stage rogaine we ran for the 21st birthday of NZ rogaining.
And like the 2017 Big Trig, you can have a bonus of 20% for darkness - rogaines you start after 6pm or finish by 6am, heh heh.
And UN-like other rogaines, you can have a bonus for finishing early - 1 point a minute.

On this page you'll find

Late-breaking updates
General stuff including safety guidelines
Guidance on the cellphone app MapRun
The courses you can choose from

Late-Breaking Updates

TUESDAY 2 JUNE

Results declared final. Hamish Laing has won the best single course (Alicetown/Woburn) and the 3- and 6-course categories. Courses remain open but results won't be counted here.

SUNDAY 31 MAY

At approx half time, Hamish Laing has posted the highest 1-course score, of 430 plus 86 dark bonus on Mt Kaukau. Michael Wood leads the 3-event table with 1028. See Results.

FRIDAY 29 MAY

Mid-afternoon, we've updated our MapRun Guide - what you need to know to download and use it. 6pm Map/parking/start notes updated in the table below. Kaukau descriptions updated again - all ribbons orange.

THURSDAY 28 MAY

Kaukau descriptions updated following checking - download again if you have already printed. Petone map deleted - checking not complete and anyway overlaps with Alicetown. So now NINE maps to choose from.

Rules of the Game

SAFETY

The first is safety - both Covid and any other risk. All teams and individuals are responsible for following Covid rules, Road rules, and all other common sense rules as they do any of the courses. We are expecting the extended time period (72 hours) and extended "playing field" (10 different areas) to prevent congregations. Travel to the courses, and on the courses with people you know and who you would be comfortable having a meal with. When you do come across other orienteers and rogainers keep a sensible distance as you would when out for a run. Minimise touching surfaces.

No-one is checking you out or in. If you are doing them solo, ensure that a family member knows your approximate schedule. Carry a cellphone whether ot not you are using the app. It's not the world champs so take it easy and enjoy easing back into map-sport.

WHAT TO DO - USING THE APP

To take part, choose the course(s) you wish to do from the list below. Your team will be called after the person associated with the phone in the MapRun app, and we won't attempt to identify the other team members (unless we can think of a REALLY simple way.) If you're not using the app your team is called after the person reporting results by email. Print off maps for the team, and we recommend the location/question sheet as well. Find some pre-used minigrip plastic bags. Turn up to the start, start up the app and find the event, and complete the course as a team. The app records your time and your score.

WHAT TO DO - WITHOUT THE APP

If you're not using the app, record your times, find the locations described on the question sheet and optionally answer the questions. We're not going to "mark" the answers, this is totally on honesty. Record your start and finish time. Email us with the date, start and finish time and your gross score. Simple as that. Send to Michael Wood PS We think we can post a GPX file to the MapRun website, so if you had a GPS watch running, attach the file to your email.

SCORING

Important difference in the scoring. It wasn't possible for MapRun to recognise controls numbered 1-9 which we used. The way round it was to give them ALL 20 points. So (in spite of what the question sheets say) ALL CONTROLS ARE WORTH 20. Lateness is 10 pts/minute which the app will compute. Earliness for anyone clearing the course is 1 pt/minute which the app won't do - we'll handle that later. The app will time you to the second which we think is ridiculous for a rogaine but we'll go with that!

RESULTS

Both sets of results will go into a spreadsheet which will appear here. There, we'll do some non-standard processing such as bonuses. You can also consult the MapRun website for results and tracking, but of course it wont take into account the quirks or the combinations we're going to work out. There will undoubtedly be things we haven't thought of, we'll make additional judgements as they crop up!

The Cellphone App MapRun

The cellphone app MapRun records where you go and beeps when you visit a control that we've put into its system. The results go onto its website, where we can see them. Read our MapRun Guide here.

We're starting to understand its strengths and weaknesses - so feel free to "claim" if you dont get a beep. Or if you dont have a smartphone. It's surprisingly good 90% of the time, but cellphone GPS's aren't perfect and neither are our maps. When the errors are in the opposite direction you can fail to get a beep. Some people's battery-save settings can make the app go to sleep, and some cellphones just don't work. C'est la vie.

The Courses

Choose from the following courses. Note where to park, as you don't want to be on top of the triangle when you fire up the app. And other oddities that may not be apparent from the map.

LOCATION	COVERAGE	COURSE AND FILES
Thorndon/Wadestown Wellington	Tinakori Hill, now called Te Ahumairangi.	1hr mini rogaine starting at the top of Weld St. Proceeds went to our orienteering friends in Chch. Map Tinakori P-Max 2011 Also Control list/questions checked 2020. Many track and vegetation changes have occurred since 2011 but amazingly all controls but 1 have registered on the app. GPS app scores all controls 20pts, starts in the middle of the top carpark so fire up the app on the grass.
Kaukau Wellington	Khandallah streets and bush tracks to top Mt Kaukau.	1hr mini rogaine starts at Onslow College. Map Kaukau 2014 Also Control list/questions. Map is in good shape, just some new bike tracks have appeared. GPS app scores all controls 20pts. Park outside the college and walk in to the triangle.
Alicetown/Woburn Lower Hutt	Eastern Petone and Woburn including the riverbank between the railway and Ewen Bridge.	1hr mini rogaine starting at Garden of Appreciation (near Sladden Park). Map Petone P-Max 2013 Also Control list/questions checked 2020. Map is in good shape. GPS app scores all controls 20pts. Start is in the first carpark on the left, suggest park beyond and walk thru the garden.
Belmont Lower Hutt	Hutt riverbank and Belmont hills near the bottom of Kelson.	1hr mini rogaine starts at Belmont Hall. Map Belmont and Hills 2013 Also Control list/questions checked 2020. Avalon Park has been hugely remodelled, riverside vegetation always changing, but doesnt affect controls. GPS app scores all controls 20pts. Start close to the school so park on the highway side.
Maungaraki Lower Hutt	Belmont Regional Park down to the Korokoro dam, plus streets round the top of Maungaraki.	1hr mini rogaine starts at park entrance. Map Oakleigh 2013 Also Control list/questions checked 2020. Extra challenges: major new tracks between start and stream are not shown - cntrls 1, 10 and 11 are on OLD tracks. Area 12-23-5 is tricky. And expect GPS accuracy to be worse down in the valley. Inexp'd rogainers stick to the streets. GPS app scores all controls 20pts.Start at the split in the loop road so park well in.
Korokoro Lower Hutt	Korokoro including Percy Reserve and Galbraith Gully.	1hr mini rogaine starts at Frank Cameron Park. Map Korokoro P-Max 2012 Also Control list/questions checked 2020. Track beside waterfall is steep - do not attempt in dark. Rest is good. GPS app scores all controls 20pts. Start at the structure so open the app well away.
Petone Lower Hutt		Withdrawn
Avalon/Belmont Lower Hutt	Avalon west of High St, and the riverbank part of Belmont.	1hr mini rogaine starts at Avalon Park - carpark off Fairway Drive. Rerun 2019 with map Avalon P-Max 2011, but Control list/questions checked 2020. Mapping has stood up well, significant changes are: New playground; Sportshub - new bldg in Fraser Park; Riverside vegetation always changing. App scores all controls 20pts. Start in carpark S of pond so park at entrance end.
Central Hutt/Normandale Lower Hutt	Central Lower Hutt, over the river and into Jubilee Park.	1hr mini rogaine starting in the riverside carpark. Map Melling P-Max 2011 and Control list/questions checked 2020. GPS app scores all controls 20pts. Map OK considering its age - expect GPS to be dodgy in Jubilee Park. Start at bottom end carpark so park well before then.
Totara Park Upper Hutt	Totara Park and east side of river from the bridge to Harcourt Park.	1hr mini rogaine starting at riverbank carpark via Michigan Cres. Map Totara Park P-Max 2012 Also Control list/questions checked 2020. Map is in good shape. GPS app scores all controls 20pts.Start close to carpark entrance so park well in.

You can find more P-Max courses on the OHV Virtual Course List - do a find on "mini rogaine". These other ones haven't been checked, or are otherwise not similar enough to the chosen courses. You're welcome to do them, just that we wont be counting these ones in the weekend results. And you're welcome to do these courses at any other time. Enjoy!

Enquiries Michael Wood, Ph 04 5662645