An Intel engineer made a present he calls ‘the reverse geocache puzzle.’ When a button on the box is pushed, it shows how far the destination is. Only there will the box unlatch.

And the recipient has to figure out where that is.

It sounds like something from “Mission: Impossible” or a James Bond movie, but this is a real gift made by software engineer Mikal Hart for a friend who was getting married and moving to France.

And it has to rank as one of the most mysterious, geekiest and most delightful wedding presents of the year.

“I’ve always been fascinated with puzzle solving, and I thought something fun could be done with GPS,” said Hart, 46, who works for Intel Corp. in Austin, Texas.

He bought the box, festooned with a carved elephant, at a World Market store and mounted a little digital screen, push button and GPS chip on the lid. Inside went the rest of the electronics and a little motor for the latch.

The box was delivered with no instructions. When the button is pushed, a message comes on the screen giving a distance in kilometers. It also shows the number of times the button has been pushed — the maximum allowed is 50.

Hart hopes that his friend, who received the box last month after his wedding in France, will figure out that the distance on the screen is a GPS-derived calculation of how far he is from the target spot. With three clear readings, he could triangulate to find the goal.

Here’s hoping he’s not reading this: It’s the Island of Brehat, a destination spot off the coast of Brittany where the couple met. Upon arrival, the motor will automatically turn on to free the latch.

“What would be better than to get in a boat and go to the island to open the box?” Hart said.

The contents had to be small to fit — they’re mostly gift cards. But if it’s the thought that counts, this one is priceless.

“It took me nine months, off and on, to figure it out and build it,” Hart said.

As people discover his website, he’s getting requests for boxes.

“I was set up to make only one,” he said, “but people are asking.”

They do say it’s the thought that counts, but we could imagine it would take a great amount of effort to get the gift.  We think we might just stay at home..