WATCH: Painted rock hunting is the latest phenomenon to spread across Greater Victoria communities this summer. Ceilidh Millar reports.
Four-year-old Poppy Wagg’s favourite hobby is to paint and hide rocks in her community.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Poppy while painting rocks of all different shapes and sizes in her home.
Over the past two years, Poppy and her mother, Erin Wagg, have hidden hundreds of rocks across the Greater Victoria area for others to discover.
“Sometimes we just hide them out and about on our walks or we go to a specific beach or playground,” said Erin.
The pair is hiding the rocks as part of the Sooke to Sidney Rock Hunt, where hundreds of people are turning an old-fashioned game into a cross-community scavenger hunt.
“It’s kind of like Geocaching,” said Erin.
The Sooke to Sidney Rock Hunt is a public group on Facebook where members hide and find colourfully painted rocks in the Greater Victoria area.
Members post pictures of their rocks and write a description of where the rocks are hidden to let other group members know where to find them.
Each of the rocks is marked with the title “SS Rock Hunt.”
“We found the biggest rock with a sunflower painted on it near the Costco in Langford,” said Erin. “We also found a rock with a Minion painted on it a few years ago.”
Erin said it’s a great way to get people outdoors during the year, as well as a fun and creative activity for kids and adults alike.
“A lot of people are really excited when they find them,” said Erin. “If they’re down in the dumps they might pick up a rock that says ‘believe’ or ‘love’ and that’s the perfect rock for them to find in that moment.”
There’s only one rule: post a picture when you find a rock to the Facebook group so the creators can see their creations are being enjoyed by all.
Members are also encouraged to keep it, re-hide it or exchange it for a rock that hasn’t been painted.
To learn more about the Sooke to Sidney Rock Hunt, visit the Facebook page.
Ceilidh Millar
