Opua Tag | The Ring Finders

Wearable Healing Coil Lost in Northland Garden, Found.

  • from Paihia (New Zealand)

Daryyl asked if I was able to locate her wearable frequency generator.
She had tucked it into her top before going out into the garden to spread bark, and while getting changed later that day, noticed it was missing.
After searching the garden, she decided to phone me.

I did some research into the construction, I had no bias for or against the theory behind it, I just needed to determine if there was any metal target inside.
There was a very fine gauge copper coil, not ideal if it was deep under bark – and a rechargeable internal battery, that’ll do!
Yes, I could certainly help.
Daryyl had to travel away but the coil was safe where it was, we arranged for the search the following weekend.

It was a relatively small area, however an excess of wire mesh around the garden and many nails holding the garden beds together (and rusting deep in the soil) meant it would have to be a very small coil to try and avoid multiple targets.
I did a quick scoping search with the 6″ coil, nothing other than foil seed packets, odd nails and screws and flecks of foil.
Step down to the 2″, time to go all surgical…

After about 30 minutes, I got a faint target tucked in under some Blueberries.
I pulled the bark back, chasing the signal.
About 10cm down, Daryyls missing device came into view, likely having fallen out as she leaned forward to spread the bark under the Blueberries.
I recommended she dry it out thoroughly before attempting a charge and having been subjected to only a bit of rain, I suspect it’ll be okay.

Engagement and Wedding Ring lost in Sea at Russell, NZ – Ring Finder Saves the Day

  • from Paihia (New Zealand)

Jan phoned me last night, quite distressed.
She had just been swimming off the beach at Russell when her wedding ring slipped off her finger.
She momentarily glimpsed it on the gravelly seabed and did a ‘duck-dive’ to grab it.  Her gold and diamond engagement also slipped off – Disaster!

Repeated attempts to grab either ring were fruitless and she came ashore, leaving her treasured and sentimental rings out in the Bay.

Dejected, she made her way to Butterfish Restaurant for a drink to calm down, when one of the bar staff mentioned my service.  She called and asked, « Could I help? »

Of course.

Now, Russell beach is a very steep and mobile beach. The bulk of it is made up of pea-sized gravels which move with each wave.  This highly mobile, almost fluid gravel beach ‘Eats’ rings!

I arranged to meet Jan first thing the following morning to catch the next tide.

Early start next morning and I arrived to see Jan ready to meet me.
I had calculated the tidal heights and knew that I would be getting wet, but I cleared the exposed beach first – Assume Nothing, Believe No-one, Check Everything.

As expected, no rings were found and I moved out into the water, my feet sinking over the ankles in the soft gravels – I’ve been here before… It’s never an easy recovery.

I did about three or four passes along the beach, getting deeper and deeper.

A whisper in the headphones caught my attention. This wasn’t another fleck of copper, or one of the many thousands of can pull tabs or bottle caps that infest this beach. The whisper said, « dig me… »

The hole refilled as soon as the scoop came out, missed it! Next time I sent the scoop deep, easily 40cm down and cut it back under the target. Heaving several kilos of gravel out ensured I had it.

After much sifting, a gold ring slowly emerged out of the gravel! I held it up to Jan, her face lit up and she started walking down the beach.

Now for number two.
I knew it was nearby, and how deep in the gravel it would be. In a few seconds I had located and captured it.

Both rings accounted for, I waded ashore.
Job done.