REPORT: Going the Distance — MNSSB Treasure Hunt at Komanwel

 

It began, as many good things do, with a site map, a GPS app, a compass, a mission, a clear mind and the midday sun bearing down on Komanwel Recreational Park.

As part of the branch's 25th/26th July AGM weekend, MNSSB held its first-ever treasure hunt at our collaborative partner’s park — and by all accounts, it was a debut worth remembering. Twenty-two AGM participants formed six teams and set off into the park for a walkabout adventure that wove together basic orienteering, photo-taking challenges (with smiles and no signs of tiredness), and a set of quiz questions centred on the seven Leave No Trace (LNT) principles.

The target was a brisk 1.5 hours. The first team crossed the finish line in just over an hour and fifteen minutes — a sharp performance that prompted organisers to extend the cutoff by another 20 minutes so the remaining teams could complete their runs. Most did.

Nature, of course, had its own agenda. A short but heavy downpour swept through mid-hunt, testing both the resolve of the participants and the waterproofing of their phone-based answer “sheets.” To their credit, not one team threw in the towel.

A technical hiccup with the Google Form — connectivity dropouts caused some submitted images to become misattributed among teams — led organisers myself and William to calmly activate a backup plan: manual submission. All six teams made their way to the café, where they took turns reading out their answers for scoring. It was an unplanned moment that turned into something oddly communal — hunters swapping stories of near-misses, misinterpreted directions and some zigzag walks cum workouts.

Given the circumstances, no deductions were imposed on late submissions. The patience shown by all participants was genuinely appreciated.

When the dust (and rain) settled, some interesting patterns emerged from the results:

• The 8-pointer clue proved no match for any team — all six got it right
• Only 2 hint requests were made across the entire hunt — a sign of confident navigating
• Most teams performed well on the LNT quiz questions and the photo-taking tasks
• The trickier challenges were those involving location bearings and distance estimation

On behalf of MNSSB, the branch extends our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this happen:

• Cik Bunga of Komanwel — for granting full access to the park grounds and for the generous prize of a Breakfast for Four at D'Island, a delightful meal served riverside on the shallow banks of Sungai Mayung
• William (joint organiser from Komanwel) and Ayang (for assisting) — for helping set up props and managing the scoring
• Joseph Lee — for overseeing the entire prizes section, from sourcing to logistics (great 'oops' patience in driving home all the way to fetch the forgotten “luggage” initially!)
• Ee Lynn — for coordinating prize redemption and contributing prizes

And of course, to every hunter who laced up, looked up at the sky when the rain came, and kept going — this one’s for you.

Report by Jimmy (chief organiser for treasure hunt)

image courtesy of Cik Bunga