New Zealand incidents

[wayno]

Australian with hypothermia rescued.

https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/public/n ... 80326a.asp

[GPSGuided]

Good outcome and thanks to the NZ SARs team. It pays to be prepared and have a PLB. The report did not say what problem caused this episode.

[wayno]

the weather wasnt that bad, likely they had inadequate clothing.....

[RonK]

The Tararua Ranges seems to catch out many - locals included, and feature regularly in rescue reports.

Is there something about them that lulls trampers into a false sense of the the difficulty of the region?

[Strider]

The Tararua Ranges seems to catch out many - locals included, and feature regularly in rescue reports.

Is there something about them that lulls trampers into a false sense of the the difficulty of the region?

I’m guessing here, but very close proximity to a capital city has to be a factor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ofuros]

I'm guessing too...not keeping a eye on weather reports when there's incoming s/westerly storms heading for the ranges.

I was supposed to relocate there but the job fell through...first thing i checked was the walking in the area...then schools, then house prices. Priorities, priorities.

[wayno]

The Tararua Ranges seems to catch out many - locals included, and feature regularly in rescue reports.

Is there something about them that lulls trampers into a false sense of the the difficulty of the region?

I’m guessing here, but very close proximity to a capital city has to be a factor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

a lot of people go there, mainly locals and a lot of nasty weather.. usually strong winds with rain.
I lived there, tramped there dozens of times at all times of year, I never had hypothermia there.

[tomh]

'Savage weather batters the range to such an extent that even those familiar with the higher and harder mountains of the Southern Alps have sometimes underestimated it. As Spearpoint* notes, the problem with the Tararuas is their exposure to weather from all directions, particularly the fierce winds channelled through Cook Strait. “Southerlies bring the snow and freeze them; westerlies bring the rain and wet them; northerlies blow until it is a marvel there is anything left.” '
* Waking to the Hills: Tramping in New Zealand (1985), Geoff Spearpoint

Thats an extract from a New Zealand Geographic item
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/tararuas/
which is well worth a read

[RonK]

Excellent article which explains why the Tararuas have such a reputation very well.

[wayno]

Tararuas are one of the most skipped sections of the Te Araroa Trail

[wayno]

his friend was equipped only with items such as a thermal and a raincoat, Hannon said.

The man had previously competed in the 35km Tararua Mountain Race, which follows the Southern Crossing and is for experienced runners.

"I guess he'd become equipped to the sort of gear you'd use if you were to run it, and usually in better weather,"

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/102684 ... mperatures

[ofuros]

I know we're all responsible for our own gear, but since they're walking together
maybe a pre-start 'what's in your pack' or 'what you got for the top' may have helped.
There's always a spare set of warm gear in the car for me or someone else to use/borrow if need be.

Glad the local survived though... & the PLB saves another life. Thumbs up.

[wayno]

PLB's arent substitutes for adequate training and preparation..
i've seen aussies tramping in NZ with no raingear and jeans. when i asked why, one guy said, "it's summer , don't need rain gear.
a lot of foreigners in NZ dont think they need rainpants.
NZ is one of the windiest inhabited countries in the world, people die of hypothermia here in mid summer. i've passed numerous grave sites in the mountains, listing all sorts of dates of death on them...
tongariro crossing a lot of people scrape through just being cold and barely avoid hypothermia, saved by a warm vehicle at the road end for every incident you read about there are numerous other incidents that arent reported because they didnt need intervention by the authorities,
i know numerous causes of people getting hypothermia including me that never got into the media. because it was dealt with in the group and SAR wasnt involved.

[ofuros]

As with other animals we learn from our mistakes...trouble is if it's a major mistake,
someone else learns from our death.

Planning, preparation & experience goes a long way.

[wayno]

i see NZ trampers trying to advise foreigners who show lack of local knowledge and often because they are experienced they dont think they need to listen... this isnt the sierra nevada or a lot of other places with low humidity where you dry out quickly after a brief rain shower,
it can rain for days, it can be like being at the end of a hose... and after it stops raining, often the weather and high humidity means nothing will dry out without a fire

[ofuros]

I'm not knocking local trampers, local knowledge is a great thing.
Just learning from these close calls & seeing what could have been done better for the next trip...

[GPSGuided]

... and after it stops raining, often the weather and high humidity means nothing will dry out without a fire

Not challenging your statement but was surprised. How how is that humidity? Not tropical in comparison, right? For the times I've been there, have always felt fine, very fine.

[wayno]

... and after it stops raining, often the weather and high humidity means nothing will dry out without a fire

Not challenging your statement but was surprised. How how is that humidity? Not tropical in comparison, right? For the times I've been there, have always felt fine, very fine.

humidity here is often anything from 60% to 100%,
plenty of days the weather won't allow any wet gear to dry, and the temperature means if you arent able to move then you're doing to get cold or hypothermic
if you're only here in warmer weather you may be fine when you're here , but thats not what the NZ mountains most of the year, i've done countless trips where once my gear gets wet it stays wet.

[wayno]

this is what milford sound looks like on a lot of days... heavy rain..

[GPSGuided]

We must have been lucky to catch so many wonderful days on our NZ trips in the past. Distorted...

[Lamont]

S__t, I have tried four times on four different years between 2011-2017 to get to the top of Gertrude Saddle-defeated every time by the weather. Middle of January, height of Summer.
Last time I was up the valley there in Jan 2017 on my own, small avalanches going off all around me and the constant cold rain/sleet, got to the cable again but wasn't game to go up-couldn't see a thing with the thick fog. Water running freely off the rock faces and in the river, snow all round, spectacular but hairy in that weather. I am yet to see sun there for more than 10 minutes.
Also the Haast or Arthurs pass have been shut every year for a period whilst I was there by bad weather and land slips from excessive rain. By the way, wouldn't have missed it for quids!
Oh, and I have been on Milford twice in rain like Wayno's pic (with some let up)and three times in some sun and loved it -no crowds. The South Island makes me think of all the wild extremes of the tropics but warm/hottish to freezing extremes.Then swings around settles for a while, then bingo off again. Just brilliant.
Bought a new jacket (recommended by a kiwi) after a wet out there and nearly froze my backside off.
Hokey Pokey ice cream at the Te Anau dairy after some fish and chips always ends a day well though! (I suggest you don't try the battered Mars bar at the Hokitika chip shop though).
Truly a wondrous experience and place.

[wayno]

the place where the gent was caught out with hypothermia is on a notorious trip that people are often stopped by bad weather.
hit and miss whether the weather will let you complete the trip across the ridge tops... Until you've had bad weather here you won't understand how difficult it can be. completing your planned trip is a bonus not a given.... I was in the eastern tararuas recently, I realised it was the first time i'd ever been there in numerous trips when the weather was consistently good. I did one trip , 40k's , I averaged 1km an hour on the trip for an average day...

[wayno]

Injured woman helped down Mt Taranaki by search and rescue

https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily- ... t-taranaki

[GPSGuided]

I did one trip , 40k's , I averaged 1km an hour on the trip for an average day...

That’d be frustrating! My Everest climbers with full gear probably went faster.

[Strider]

I did one trip , 40k's , I averaged 1km an hour on the trip for an average day...

That’d be frustrating! My Everest climbers with full gear probably went faster.

How much gear do Everest climbers actually carry? I thought the day to summit was relatively short?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wayno]

Hunter shot dead

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/102761 ... r-te-aroha

[michael_p]

Hunter shot dead

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/102761 ... r-te-aroha

Gee whiz. In December I'll be in Waihi for a few days. I was looking at going for a wander in that area (if I can get time of course). Didn't think I would have to worry about getting shot at.

Michael.

[wayno]

during the Deer Roar one or more people, almost always hunters get shot since thats when the highest no of hunters are active.
easter an anzac weekend are the most likely times when someone will be shot

[izogi]

I’m guessing here, but very close proximity to a capital city has to be a factor.

That and there are significant population centres on all sides. Wellington to the south, Palmerston North to the north, a bunch of towns like Masterton and Carterton to the east, Otaki and Levin to the west. It's the main back yard for a lot of people.

I was up there in the subalpine tussock on Friday. It's an awesome place and heaps of options for designing an interesting trip.

[wayno]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?obj ... ef=twitter