Waitara — The Forged Register Conspiracy
Uncover the colonial forgery in the Waitara Register that ignited the Taranaki Wars. Track hidden clues across town to expose the land grab deception and reveal the truth buried for 160 years.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1860, Waitara became the flashpoint of New Zealand's Taranaki Wars
Waitara — The Forged Register Conspiracy
You are a junior government clerk, dispatched to Waitara in late 1860, tasked with discreetly reviewing the disputed land records.
In 1860, Waitara became the
Conspiracy at Government House: The Secrets of Waitara
« « I will not sell Waitara to the Pākehā. » »— Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitake, Te Āti Awa chief, 1859
The Waitara War and the Confiscation of Māori Land
In 1859, colonial New Zealand was shaken by a major land dispute. Teira Manuka, a lesser chief of the Te Āti Awa iwi, offered to sell a 600-acre parcel of land, known as the Pekapeka Block in Waitara, to the colonial government. However, the senior chief of the iwi, Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitake, strongly opposed this sale, citing Māori custom which prohibited the sale of land without the consent of all tribal chiefs and the community. Governor Thomas Gore Browne, eager to acquire land for settlers and disregarding customary rights, interpreted Kingi's opposition as a challenge to Crown authority, thereby creating a pretext for military intervention.
On March 17, 1860, Governor Gore Browne ordered British troops to occupy the Pekapeka Block, initiating the First Taranaki War, or Waitara War. This conflict, driven by a colonial desire to appropriate Māori lands, was followed by the New Zealand Settlements Act of 1863, which allowed for the massive confiscation of land as punishment for Māori 'rebellions'. Over 3 million acres of Māori land were confiscated, including land belonging to iwi who had not participated in the fighting, under the pretext of establishing peace and order, but in reality to satisfy the growing settler demand for land.
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?
The Secret Register
Gather fragments of a hidden colonial register to unveil the political machinations and true motives behind the Waitara War.
Land Wars
Explore Auckland's iconic locations where decisions were made that led to the bloody wars of Māori land confiscation.
Colonial Conspiracy
Untangle the threads of a complex plot, orchestrated by the colonial government to justify the expansion and appropriation of Māori territories.
Truth is never buried, it waits to be exhumed.
Uncover the secret of Waitara.
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
Q01Is Waitara — The Forged Register Conspiracy similar to a treasure hunt?
Same spirit: search, deduce, find. But here the "treasure" is a full story to piece together in eight stops. Each stop gives you a fragment of the final code. Eight fragments later, you've cracked it.
Q02Can we split Waitara — The Forged Register Conspiracy 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.
Q03Can we play Waitara — The Forged Register Conspiracy as a couple?
Great two-person format. Narration is dramatic without overdoing it, puzzles are designed to spark conversation. Ideal for new relationships or anniversaries — you discover the city and coordinate on puzzles simultaneously.
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.
Did you play le registre de waitara? Check the email you received after your game to leave a verified review.
Your turn to play
The fate of Māori lands was sealed in the streets of Auckland. Gather the evidence and unmask the colonial plot that shaped New Zealand's history.
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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