DOWN THE HUNT MEMORY LANE 2011

What a year it was at the world of treasure hunt in 2011!

As we sang "Auld Lang Syne" at the stroke of midnight to celebrate the New Year, it's interesting to reflect on the events of 2011!


For treasure hunters, it has been a year of mounting excitement and thrill, with a few valleys of disappointments!

HNN would like to bid farewell to 2011, with hunt images, news and reflections on this memorable year.

Here's a look at the great fun, disappointments and the promising future of treasure hunts!

HNN HUNT STATISTICS 2011

With the passing of 2011, it'll be interesting to compile some statistical data about treasure hunts during the year.

On record, 2011 has a total of 61 open hunts, organised by 29 COCs (Clerks of Course) or Technical Advisors.

COC Pava's Hunts and Time Out Solution had the highest number of open hunts in 2011 (6 each).

The most popular month for treasure hunts in 2011 seems to be July (10 hunts), followed closely by October (9 hunts), while the least popular month is August, as it was the fasting month. Had it not due to the last-minute cancellation of 4 hunts, December would have been a record month too!

You can find more interesting charts about the hunt events, COCs and the achievement of treasure hunters below.

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GEM

SEBERANG PERAI 18 DECEMBER 2011: A hunt year that began in great expectation, somehow ended in utter frustration!

With the return of the majestic Putrajaya Hunt, the insatiable Hunting for Meals on Wheels and the traditional heart-stopping CNY Hunt to kick off 2011, the hunters would have reasonably raised their optimism for more great events to come; and perhaps a noteworthy one to wrap up the fantastic year.

When GEMpur Harta Qarun 2011 was delayed to 18^th December with promises of fun and salivating prizes, participants surely looked forward to this final hunt as the last chance saloon. Perhaps the god of hunting had decided to ‘Save The Best For Last’!

A few KL teams predictably made the customary pilgrimage to the Pearl of Orient, presumably bedazzled by the sparkling prizes. Instead they found out that all that glitters may not be gem.

Gempur Harta Qarun - Banner

Participants during briefing

TNT CHARITY HUNT 2011 - News

Total cars - 54 Teams (11 regulars, 43 novices)

Total prizes - 11 prizes for regulars (all regulars get prizes), 20 prizes for novices

Donation of RM10,000 to Shelter Home and RM10,000 to Precious Childrens Home, including hundreds of treasures - Kiwi Floor Kleen, Pencils, Exercise Books, Mentos, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste & Toys for all the children.

    

Regular - Top 3 Winners

Novice - Top 3 Winners

















Novice - Champion

Regular - Champion











   



AN EYE FOR A MISSION



KLANG VALLEY 10 DECEMBER 2011: As the cinema light gradually dimmed, the catchy theme song of the movie began to play, much to the delight of the audience.

For those growing up during the 1980’s, this familiar tune provided an instant reminder of an awaiting assignment and possibly a thrilling adventure. Watching the premiere of Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol on the silver screen inevitably rekindled the sweet nostalgia of the original TV series. 

Yet somehow it also evoked the hunt memories of previous week, for the participants of Eye Q Treasure Hunt 2011 may arguably claim that they had miraculously survived a more impossible mission.

If Tom Cruise and his team thought that they had it tough in the Ghost Protocol, wait till they attempt the challenges in this Malaysian Mensa hunt. If they considered deactivating the satellite of the Indian mogul Brij Nath (played by the actor Anil Kapoor) as arduous, they should try ‘deactivating’ the lethal questions of the Indian COC Jay (played by err…. the incomparable Jayaram Menon himself).



I&P MAD ABOUT HOMES TREASURE HUNT 2011 - News

Extracted from New Strait Times (2nd Dec 2011)
Hunt takes participants to I&P's townships

Team 2 Sneakies + 2 Innocents won
the public category

  

KUALA LUMPUR: Seventy-seven participants, including various media groups took part in I&P Group's I&P MadAboutHomes Treasure Hunt recently. They were flagged off from its sales office in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong.

Covering a distance of 135km the participants had to make stops at seven checkpoints covering the group's various townships in the Klang Valley which included Bandar Kinrara, Bandar Baru Seri Petaling, Alam Damai, Alam Sari and Bayuemas.The last leg of the hunt took the participants to the group's Alam Impian Gallery in  Alam Impian, Shah Alam.

USJ WALKABOUT TREASURE HUNT - News

Extracted from New Strait Times (9th Nov 2011) and SJ Echo (Nov 2011)

23 teams scour Sunway Pyramid for 'treasures'

Hunters on the prowl



SUBANG JAYA: Treasure hunters went all over Sunway Pyramid recently to compete with each other at the USJ2 & USJ6 2nd Walkabout Treasure Hunt 2011.

Twenty-three teams, attired in Smurf-blue T-shirts, were flagged off by Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh and Kelana Jaya member of parliament Loh Gwo-Burne.

There were three members to each team.

The two-hour hunt had participants cracking their heads over clues to their "treasures" in the shopping mall.

BGRC & GEMPAK SANTAI CAR T'SURE HUNT 2011 - News

Extracted from Harian Metro (28th Nov 2011)

Cari ‘harta’ guna kamus

KUANTAN: Pengalaman menyertai lebih 30 pertandingan memburu harta karun memberi kelebihan kepada kumpulan 2 Sneakies + 2 Innocent menjuarai Car Treasure Hunt anjuran akhbar Harian Metro (HM) bersama Bukit Gambang Resort City (BGRC) sempena Gempak Santai Harian Metro @ Taman Air Bukit Gambang (TABG), semalam.

Dalam pertandingan berkenaan, kumpulan dianggotai empat sahabat dari Kuala Lumpur, Claire Chin, 30, Alexander Hoh, 45, Julie Tan, 30, dan Goh Teck Koon, 54, membawa pulang wang RM3,000 manakala tempat kedua dimenangi kumpulan Apapun Boleh yang membawa pulang RM1,500. Tempat ketiga dimenangi kumpulan Vetaisakhti yang menerima RM1,000.

ANZGAM TREASURE HUNT 2011 - News

Some photos from ANZGAM Treasure Hunt 2011.
Detailed result, question analysis and final batch of the photos are out!
 


ANZGAM Treasure Hunt 2011

Team Tan-Ters On The Road













 

 







Group Photo

Team Indiana Spartans



 











BANKING ON POETIC COC

Dua tiga kucing berlari,

Mana nak sama si kucing belang,

Dua tiga COC boleh kuhadapi,

Mana nak sama COC Malik sorang!

GEORGETOWN 26 NOVEMBER 2011: It is one thing when banks give interest for deposits in the saving accounts, but it’s quite another when one promised substantial rewards for deposits of hunt entry fee.

One seldom savours the sight of financial institutions on the bandwagon of public hunts; hence full credit must be given to Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) when they explored such marketing avenue, via their BSN SSP Special Edition Treasure Hunt 2011!

With cash and SSP (Sijil Simpanan Premium) up for grab, it was hardly surprising when about 60 teams promptly registered for the event. Such was the joy and prospect of a potential windfall, several hunters who have hung up their hunt clipboards a few years ago, decided to do a ‘Paul Scholes’ U-turn, by coming out of their retirement for one last hurrah.

CABARAN PAHLAWAN 2011 - News

Extracted from New Strait Times (4th Nov 2011)

Treasure hunters raise funds for warriors

By Farrah Naz Karim
   

A rousing performance by the Tambor
platoon of the Royal Rangers 6th Regiment




KUALA LUMPUR: The recent inaugural Pahlawan Challenge 2011 was not just another treasure hunt.

Participants, comprising seasoned hunters as well as beginners, went home not only with attractive prizes and goodies but also a wealth of information and knowledge about the armed forces and life as soldiers.

The motor hunt, which attracted some 50 cars, was organised by the Armed Forces Veterans Affairs Department (JHEV), in conjunction with Hari Pahlawan 2011 which falls on July 31.

TO LAUGH, OR NOT TO LAUGH: THAT'S THE QUESTION!

KUALA SELANGOR 23 OCTOBER 2011: For Shakespearean aficionados who took part in Soroptimist Treasure Hunt 2011, it must have been a rewarding experience for them!

They came to join an event, one hopefully capable of rendering lasting memories, of providing great value for money and of course, of offering entertainment! They found more than what they could have bargained for; just not in the way they could have envisaged!

Their entry fee not only entitled them to join the “Hunt with A Heart”; it was also a ticket to watch the farcical remake of one of the Bard’s well-known plays – The Comedy of Errors!

How else can they react to this hunt that saw the comical COC unintentionally bemused the participants with humorous anecdotes and reasons for his clownish performance?

Soroptimist Charity Hunt 2011

COC Francis Lee





EXORCISING THE GHOST OF HUNTING PAST

SUBANG 22 OCTOBER 2011: Forget Halloween – what COC Trailblazers did recently in The Summit Hantu Hunt 2011 was decidedly creepy too!

With loosely-bandaged mummy, fang-baring vampire, well-equipped Ghostbusters team and scythe-wielding Grim Reaper on the prowl, the stage was set for a ghoulish showdown among several brazen-hearted hunters.

Instead of the traditional ‘trick-or-treat’ guising, the mortal participants were delectably served with a ‘treat of tricks’; in the form of demonic questions and unearthly challenges.

 

The Summit Hantu Hunt 2011

Hantu Best-Dressed Costume team









SUNLIGHT TAXI HUNT 2011 FOR BEGINNERS - News

Extracted from The Star (15th Oct 2011)

Learning to empathise with cabbies

Sunlight Taxi’s recent treasure hunt, “Having Fun With Sunlight”, was a roaring success, with over 300 taxi drivers and members of the public braving the rain in the Klang Valley to collect treasures for a good cause, and to vie for the top prize of RM2,000.

The winning team was ironically named “Don’t Know Much”.

In total, RM30,000 in cash and kind was given out as prizes to 49 teams.

The “Don’t Know Much” team, comprising long-time friends Mohd Md Taib, Ahmad Zarmilan Mohamad and Ahmad Iznie, joked that while they might not know much about anything else, they were aware that teamwork pays off.

 

NISSAN TREASURE HUNT 2011 (NORTHERN) - News

Extracted from http://cbt.com.my/111012/nissan-treasure-hunt-travels-up-north

Nissan Treasure Hunt Travels Up North

Right after the festive season of Hari Raya, 32 teams including a representative from the local media join the Nissan Treasure Hunt organised by Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM).

The event started at the Nissan 3S Centre in Butterworth, the participants spent hours of “hunting” around the town including delivering food and other essential daily products at Rumah Sejahtera Permatang Tinggi before crossing the Penang Bridge for their next mission.

Datuk Dr Ang Bon Beng, Executive Director of Edaran Tan Chong Motor
 Sdn Bhd flagging off the participants

ATMAH CHARITY HUNT 2011 - News

For those of you who didn't go for the Atmah hunt, here's a tough Treasure Q from the hunt:-

T1.
For the first treasure, a cleaner you must target,
Add a high-end minus the last word from a band: please relate,
Browse the beginnings nothing great, the treasure's not hard for you to break.

Have a shot if you haven't tried it before!


More treasure questions below (courtesy of hunter BL Yeoh):-

CHARITY MOTORING TREASURE HUNT 2011 - News

Extracted from The Star (8th Aug 2011)
Ex-shuttler with brain damage receives aid

IT was a poignant moment for the father of a former state badminton player who suffers from brain damage after a road accident when the Bayan Baru Welfare Association donated RM5,000 to the family.

Holding back tears, Oon Beng Teik, 50, received a mock cheque from the association’s representative David Yim at a restaurant in Sungai Ara on Thursday.

Oon’s daughter Him Yee, 21, suffered serious head injuries after her motorcycle collided with a car. 

   Noble deeds: Oon (fifth left) receiving the mock cheque from event organiser Heng Yak Hoi (second left) and Yim (left) while representatives from the Penang Fu Yi Haemodialysis Centre receive the mock cheque for RM10,000

THE GREAT KFC TREASURE HUNT 2011 - News

Extracted from The Star (5th Aug 2011)
Seven-hour adventure ends in PD for 170 motoring buffs


IT was 130km of sheer fun for more than 170 motoring buffs who were part of the 43 teams taking part in the first ever Great KFC Treasure Hunt recently.

The adventure began at KFC Subang 2, the fast food chain’s 500th restaurant and ended in Selesa Beach Resort, Port Dickson.

The teams were flagged off in order of arrival at 7.30am from the restaurant for the estimated seven-hour adventure.

Off you go: Rosita flagging off the participants at the Great KFC Treasure Hunt 2011 recently

HARRY POTTER AND THE MAGICAL TOWER HUNT

ALOR SETAR 23 JULY 2011: Bring out the flying broomstick, flip through the pages of a spell book, wave the magic wand and utter the incantation of Abracadabra! This is the time for sorcery and witchcraft!

With the premier screening of a wizard’s 8^th and final movie during the previous weekend, Menara KL Tower To Tower Hunt 2011 delivered an encore of unforgettable magical adventure as well.

COC Md Sofian Zainal Abidin (from NRZ Events) may lack the youth and charm of Harry Potter; yet his encyclopaedic knowledge of powerful spells made him an equally formidable hunt wizard.



Menara KL Tower 2 Tower Hunt 2011

Wizard COC Md Sofian from NRZ Events

   

BERNAMA-SARAWAK TOURISM WALKHUNT 2011 - News

Extracted from The Star (17th July 2011)
Tourism Walk Hunt to promote state


KUCHING: The Bernama-Sarawak Tourism Walk Hunt 2011 got underway here yesterday morning with about 250 participants.

The event, held for the first time in Sarawak, was flagged off by Bernama general manager Datuk Hasnul Hassan at the Kuching Waterfront. The hunt, themed “Jejak Warisan Bumi Kenyalang” (Heritage Trail of the Land of Hornbills) was divided into three categories namely for members of Kelab Kakitangan Bernama (KKB), members of the public, and students.

Trivial Challenge: Hunters figuring out
the clues along Gambier Road

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF IN DISCOVERING MALACCA

MALACCA 2 JULY 2011: According to Hikayat Melayu (the Malay Annals), Parameswara, a fugitive prince from Singapore accidentally discovered Malacca around the year 1400. What attracted him and his entourage at that time was a smart white kancil (mouse deer, not Perodua car) outwitting his hunting dog at the location of modern day Malacca Town.

Miraculously in 2011, the participants of GBS Charity Treasure Hunt 2011 re-discovered Malacca Town, thanks largely to another ‘colour creature’.  Not to be outdone, COC Purple Antz attempted to cryptically hoodwink the hunting group at precisely the same location on 2^nd July.





A TWIST IN THE TALE OF THE ORIENT HUNT

GEORGETOWN 29 MAY 2011: As far as the Grand Slam hunts go, Kiwanis hunt must be one of the most eagerly-awaited events of the year. After all, it is the most prestigious and longest running hunt, which undoubtedly evokes nostalgic memories of yesteryears, among all the hunters. 

“Tales of the Orient” was the theme for the 28^th Kiwanis Treasure Hunt 2011; yet several participants must have involuntarily conspired to add a few twists in the hunt tales. Just less than 24 hours after Barcelona team had conjured magic to mesmerize MU players in the Champion League 2011 final, Kiwanis hunt weaved the magic in its final night of champion prize presentation.

HIGH NOON AT ROYAL OAK

KUALA LUMPUR 21 MAY 2011: One seldom associates pubs with treasure hunts; yet Royal Oak Treasure Hunt 2011 perceptibly proved to be a refreshing anomaly. For the second year running, the participants embarked on a pub crawl; with the event starting around lunch time at Royal Oak pub in Jaya One, and culminated with dinner at its sister’s in Solaris Mont Kiara.

With Michael Pang as the wily COC, the hunt represented the sport played at its very rudimentary level. Purely cryptic questions and treasures; no booze-guzzling challenge, or dart-throwing contest needed for thematic linkage with the organizer’s business!

Probably this came closest to the hunt version of high noon showdown (literally) outside a Western bar!

Royal Oak Treasure Hunt 2011

Royal Oak at Jaya One

A TALE OF TWO COCS

KIJAL 7 MAY 2011: NPC Treasure Hunt is certainly fast becoming the new darling of treasure hunters. Devoid of the lucrative theSun Motor Hunt in 2010 and hitherto in 2011, the hunt calendar was fortunately filled by this timely event.

Though not quite in the same league as the Mother of All Hunts, NPC hunt has never failed to offer mouth-watering cash prizes and lucky draws, mainly due to its enviable ability to get major sponsors on the bandwagon, such as Astro and Maxis (2010); as well as Naza and Shell (2011).



COC Gary Guna giving final briefing

 

1-Malaysia NPC Naza Hunt 2011





Last year, the participants elatedly embarked on an unforgettable hunt to Kuantan, with the evergreen COC Govind Nair. This time, NPC Treasure Hunt 2011 took more than 40 teams on a 334-km trip to the picturesque Awana Kijal; with Gary Guna assuming the COC mantle.

A SCHOOL 'OF MA'LICIOUS RED HERRINGS

GEORGETOWN 3 APR 2011: Tuntutlah ilmu hingga ke liang lahat – Malay proverb

This popular adage rightly implies that learning is a full time job; 24 x 7, 365 days a year; until the final moment when you push up ‘bunga raya’ (in Malaysia, hibiscus flowers are more popular than the daisies) and you find either yourself tightly wrapped in a white cloth, or your relatives ceremoniously burning paper I-Pad2 and human effigies for you during Cheng Beng (All Souls’ Day).

Such learning culture must surely apply to the realm of treasure hunt, and all right-minded hunters should zealously upgrade themselves with newly-acquired knowledge. On the weekend, when most Chinese people were relatively busy attending to their dead ancestors at the cemeteries, a group of lively hunters were busy attending school in the OFMA Treasure Hunt 2011.

HUNT CHALLENGES

(by JayMen)

Challenges in a hunt break the routine by providing a physical aspect to a mind game. They also impose a shift in tempo to the rhythm of the team.

Not doing the challenge well half way through a hunt will sometimes throw off mentally weak teams. Doing them well raises the morale. Challenges also come in non physical forms as when solving puzzles and quizzes, where a different mental approach is needed.

There have been many good arguments put forth by passionate hunters both for and against the nature of challenges in hunts.

HOSPICE HUNT CHARIS-HED BY ALL

GEORGETOWN 19 MAR 2011: Prior to Charis Hospice Hunt for Charity 2011 on 19^th Mar 2011, the diagnosis was not very promising. Die-hard Penang hunters were discreetly suffering in silence; their periodic groan of anxiety was all too familiar. It has been almost 6 months since the last Penang hunt that some have categorically given up waiting.

The hunt withdrawal symptoms seemed to have affected the most ardent fans; even the injection of a sporadic hunt in the Pearl of the Orient can only provide transient relief for the addiction. During 2010 and early 2011, the usual annual hunts in the north have somehow dwindled down to a trickle.

The Rapid Penang Hunt and Coyote Hunt were coincidentally delayed; the FIZ Hunt 2010 was mysteriously cancelled at the eleventh hour; Penang Food Hunt was postponed again for the 2^nd year running and Mensa Eye-Q Hunt was magically teleported to Klang Valley. And then to cap it all, most KL outstation hunts were either heading south or east; purportedly evading northern region as if it’s a leper colony.

INDEPENDENT VS PAKATAN – SHOWDOWN IN KK?

KOTA KINABALU 27 FEB 2011: Since the fateful March 2008 political tsunami in Malaysia, the escalating number of by-elections has gradually unveiled itself as a Trojan horse; touted at first as a gift of democratic rights for the people; now unmasked more as a political avenue for the parties to gauge their popularity and triumphantly thump their chests.

With the tendency of some frail politicians to proverbially kick the bucket and the 16^th by-election just recently over, one may be forgiven for naturally assuming that the ‘Independent vs Pakatan – Showdown in KK?’ could be the headline for the 17^th.

Thankfully, it’s not! However it may unfortunately describe an age-old hunt malaise, which has allegedly reared its ugly head in the recent 10^th KK City Tourism Treasure Hunt 2011 (as claimed and hotly debated here).

UNCLE CHONG'S ANGPOW OF BUNNIES

KLANG VALLEY 13 FEB 2011: During Chinese New Year, it is a goodwill tradition for the elderly to dish out angpows to the younger generation; so it is a befitting gesture for Uncle Chong (one of the veteran hunters around) to perform likewise this year.

‘As usual’, his red packet had ‘an unusual’ content, as those regular hunters who had celebrated the past New Year with him, had come to expect. Instead of getting packets of paper money, the recipients were presented with hunt papers, packed with ‘bunnies’!

One inevitably tends to associate this Year of Rabbit with gentleness, calmness and mercy; the traits commonly epitomized by this cute animal. However any innocent hunters who unwittingly presumed that such correlation may be extrapolated to the Uncle Chong's Rabbit Run - CNY Hunt on 13^th Feb 2011, would either be as mad as a March hare, or have no inkling of the formidable reputation of Uncle Chong.

A-HA MOMENTS IN HUNTING HIGH & LOW

PETALING JAYA 12 FEB 2011: ‘A-ha’ may remind you of a famous band from Norway during the 1980’s, but it is also an exclamation to express the satisfaction or surprise in discovering something.

One of the greatest joys about treasure hunting is the A-ha opportunity it provides on the road; as well as during the answer presentation.

During such enlightening moments, it’s likely that either you will beam with pride for solving a toughie, or kick yourself for missing an obvious clue. Either way, you would have learned a valuable lesson and enriched yourself to become a better hunter.

Nowhere is this A-ha opportunity more vividly on display than in the recent Hunting for Meals on Wheels 2011. This is undoubtedly a hunt that showcases the qualities of a masterpiece.

AMAZING RACE RETURNS WITH JO-HUNT SALUL!

PUTRAJAYA 15 JAN 2011: Back by popular demand after a hiatus of 3 years, Putrajaya Treasure Hunt 2011 - Amazing Race was definitely a not-to-be-missed event. This well-publicised hunt was aiming to pick up the excitement where it has left off in 2007; and to a great extent, it has succeeded.