Rogaining

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Rogaining is a cross country navigation sport similar to orienteering, but requires you to visit as many control sites as you can within a set time limit.  The shortest rogaining events are one hour, and the National and World Championship events are 24 hours.  The most common length events in New Zealand are 3, 6 and 12 hours.

The best thing about rogaining is the social aspect.  Everyone starts at the same time, and generally finishes at the same time, it is just the amount of ground that has been covered by teams that differs.  Rogaining can be held in city environments or in farmland and bush, and you get to visit parts of the country you never knew existed.  Controls are given different scores, so strategy plays a big part in collecting the most points versus shortest distance, as the winner is determined by the highest score.  It differs from orienteering in that you can visit them in any order, and is normally a team sport with groups of 2 to 5 competing.

All that is required to give rogaining a go is a map, a compass and a teammate.

Rogaining events are organised by local Orienteering clubs, the NZ Rogaining Association and by private event companies.

Rogaining is a mix of navigation, adventure, strategy and fun.   They can be done on foot, MTB, kayaks or skis, depending on where the venue is.

In a rogaine you’ll be given a map with marked checkpoints/controls which are given different scores and your challenge is to get the highest score within a set time by visiting as many controls as possible. But note you will have points deducted if you are late.   Everyone finishes around the same time so the event centre is always a social spot.

The shortest rogaines or orienteering score events are one hour, and the national and world Championship events are 24 hours, but any set time limit can be used.   Longer events will often have a shorter duration option available.  In the longer events there will also be a dark component to add to the navigation challenge.

In a rogaine you are given the map before you start, and everyone has the same amount of planning time – around 5 minutes for a one hour event and 3 hours for a 24 hour event.  This means that you and your teammate need to put your cunning strategies into place as to the most efficient method to collect maximum points versus minimum distance travelled within the competition time.

In a rogaine you can return to the event centre any number of times, and can finish whenever you like. Recording your visits to control sites is done with an electronic punch (NAVLIGHT or SPORTident), a clipcard and punch, or by writing down the answer to a question or copying a short code. At the finish your score is counted, points deducted if you are late, and the winning team is announced.

For an event near you have a look at the Events section.

Rogaining – OrienteeringNZ Links

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