Te Kooti's Shadow — Decode the Resistance
Decipher the hidden messages left by Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki during his guerrilla campaign. Uncover the truth behind the 1865 land confiscation and the resistance that shook colonial New Zealand.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1865, the Whakatohea people of Opotiki watched their ancestral lands seized by colonial authorities
Te Kooti's Shadow — Decode the Resistance
You are a covert agent for Te Kooti, operating in 1869 Opotiki, New Zealand.
In 1865, the Whakatohea people of Opot
« “Peace is an illusion when justice is trampled.” »— Te Kooti Arikirangi, addressing his warriors (c. 1872)
The Urewera Guerrilla: Ten Years of Evasion and Resistance
After his return from the Chathams in 1868, Te Kooti and his followers, known as Ngāi Tūhoe, retreated into the dense and impenetrable Urewera Mountains. This rugged terrain became the theatre for one of the longest and fiercest guerrilla campaigns of the New Zealand Wars. Government forces, composed of armed constabulary and Māori allies, launched multiple expeditions, but Te Kooti's warriors' superior knowledge of the terrain and their complex communication system allowed them to evade capture for over a decade.
The pursuit of Te Kooti tested the endurance of both sides. His tactics, combining daring raids with strategic retreats, demonstrated his mastery of guerrilla warfare. Despite heavy losses at Ngatapa in 1869, the Ringatū faith continued to galvanize his troops and supportive Māori communities. Finally pardoned in 1883, Te Kooti remained an emblematic figure of resistance and a spiritual leader whose legacy continues to inspire.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Guerrilla Strategies
Uncover the military tactics and evasion tricks employed by Te Kooti and his warriors.
Secret Sanctuaries
Search for clues leading to hidden caches and routes in the Opotiki landscape and towards the Urewera.
Loyalty Network
Decipher the communication and support system that allowed Te Kooti to evade his pursuers for years.
Cunning and loyalty against oppression.
Urewera Mountains 1870
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need an app or a paper guide?
Neither. Everything plays in your browser (Safari, Chrome) after you tap your activation link. No PDF to print, no download. The trail lives in your phone, that's it.
Q02Can we split Te Kooti's Shadow — Decode the Resistance across two days?
Yes — your code stays active and progress is saved. You can start Saturday afternoon, finish Sunday morning. Some players actually prefer this format to make the most of a full weekend on site.
Q03Is Te Kooti's Shadow — Decode the Resistance suitable for a challenge-seeking teen?
Absolutely. The puzzles aren't obvious — a curious teen will sweat just enough to be proud of cracking them. Progressive hints prevent frustration: if stuck, unlock hint level 1, then 2, then 3.
Q04Do we need 4G data to play?
Intermittent 4G is plenty. Maps are cached at startup. Narration and clues load per stop, so a so-so signal between stops is fine. GPS itself uses no data.
Avis des aventuriers
Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience.
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Your turn to play
Decipher the Urewera Code and explore the evasion tactics of a prophet-warrior on the run.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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