geocaching
n. A type of scavenger hunt in which participants are given the geographical coordinates of a cache of items and they use the Global Positioning System to locate the cache.
Etymology
Examples
2001
Caches have been planted in 50 states and in 55 countries, from local parks to a sunken tugboat in the Red Sea. No matter that many of the 'treasure boxes' are filled with spare batteries, Pez dispensers and the like: 'People are planning vacations around geocaching,' says Webmaster Jeremy Irish.
—Laura Bly, “The Travel Web,” Newsday, July 15, 2001
2000 (earliest)
Treasure hunts have gone high-tech, with owners of GPS tracking systems pioneering a new craze. Known as geocaching, participants bury a box containing 'treasure', log the co-ordinates, then upload the data to the geocaching website. Once the box is found, players must remove the item inside, add one of their own, and write about their escapades in a journal in the box.
—Mark Prigg, “Treasure chest,” Sunday Times, October 08, 2000
Notes
In case you don't know, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a series of satellites that enable people equipped with the appropriate GPS receiver to pinpoint their exact latitude and longitude anywhere on Earth (accurate to within about 20 meters on a good day).
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