Tag Archives: search and rescue

A sad Tararua tale of the usual sorts of reasons

Posted on 10 July, 2018 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

I’ve held off writing much about the November 2016 accident in the Tararua, near Alpha Hut, where two people died. There hasn’t seemed to have been much new to write about which I haven’t already covered previously in this forum. … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on another Tararua rescue

Posted on 31 March, 2018 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

The Southern Crossing of the Tararuas has been in the news a few times lately. Shaun Barnett wrote this nifty description of the Southern Crossing for the April 2018 edition of Wilderness Magazine, although a feature on the Tararua Range … Continue reading →

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A fuller narrative of the Taranaki alpine tragedy

Posted on 8 October, 2017 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

In 2013 I wrote briefly about the (then) recent alpine tragedy on Taranaki. A very detailed, and interactive, report about that event has now been published by Stuff. The article is sourced from multiple in-depth interviews with people directly involved. … Continue reading →

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Is this normal?

Posted on 18 November, 2016 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

On Friday 22nd October, 2016 (last couple of paragraphs): Pouakai Hut Meanwhile, police also rescued two people who had got lost on the Pouakai track on Friday. The pair were reached at Pouakai Hut on Friday afternoon, and were walked … Continue reading →

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One Way Communication

Posted on 7 September, 2016 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

There was a report a couple of days back of some people being rescued in Kahurangi National Park, having activated a personal locator beacon. The three women […] had been tramping on the Leslie-Karamean track when they became stranded on … Continue reading →

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Comparing accounts of accidents

Posted on 31 August, 2016 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

I’ve only been reluctantly following the recent winter incident on the Routeburn track, where a man slipped and fell, eventually dying. His partner stayed with him in freezing temperatures for several days as he died, then made her way slowly … Continue reading →

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A Fortunate Outcome at Kapakapanui

Posted on 25 May, 2016 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

Looking towards the inner Tararuas from near Kapakapanui Peak. Late last month, two women had a very fortunate outcome in the vicinity of Kapakapanui. In the past, I’ve written multiple trip reports describing the very accessible loop walk which the … Continue reading →

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Groups Staying Together

Posted on 6 January, 2016 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

Stuff recently posted a story titled “Friends leave woman behind in bush — search and rescue called“. It refers to an incident in the Wairere Falls area near Matamata, suggesting that a group of friends selfishly left someone behind because … Continue reading →

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Good LandSAR Publicity

Posted on 16 May, 2015 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

This morning’s Dominion Post has some fab publicity for New Zealand’s LandSAR organisation, derived from a couple of recent high profile incidents in the Tararua and Rimutaka Ranges in the lower North Island. The first article profiles a couple of … Continue reading →

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Ordering of Priorities

Posted on 21 April, 2015 by Mike McGavinPrint This Post Print This Post

I recently attended a great talk, courtesy of a person whose group of four was rescued from the Tararuas less than a year ago. The incident was not reported by media. If it had been then it probably would have … Continue reading →

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