Cold front causes chaos, avalanche warnings across the South Island rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
MSC says the app addresses common incident causes such as an overambitious choice of route, a lack of sufficient fitness and people taking longer than expected to reach their destination. These three factors combined cause 30 percent of all tramping search and rescue operations.
As well as being able to comment on tracks, users will be able to create a trip plan, add group members, share the plan with others and assign emergency contacts. Trampers traversing the Travers River and on many other NZ walks will be able to use the new app Photo credit: Supplied We are really confident there is a need for this type of app and that it will make a difference, Daisley said.
Summer prices for huts on the Milford Track are up $40 per night for international visitors to $110, while NZ residents have an $8 increase to $78. The Kepler and Routeburn are up $37 for internationals ($102) but only $3 for NZ residents ($68). The popularity of Rakiura over the last year has seen its hut prices bumped up $32 for internationals ($56 per night) and $13 for locals ($37). On the flip side, the Whanganui Journey will be a bit cheaper for all hikers while the Lake Waikaremoana Track and Paparoa Track are unchanged. DOC Heritage and Visitors Director, Steve Taylor, said there will be other pricing changes, including the extension of the use of seasonal pricing, and the introduction of weekend pricing for a small number of DOC’s most high-use huts.
SIMON O CONNOR/STUFF
The bodies of Richard Phillips and Peter Kirkwood were recovered shortly after 8am Thursday with the assistance of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter and Police Search and Rescue and Alpine Cliff Rescue personnel.
OPINION: Taranaki Maunga is a challenging yet popular mountain for trampers in summer and climbers all year round. Its beauty is well known, but unfortunately it also has a reputation as one of the deadliest mountains in New Zealand. The NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) is often asked just how deadly Taranaki Maunga is and why. In recent years, MSC has conducted detailed analysis of safety incidents on the mountain and throughout New Zealand, as well as providing expert reports and safety recommendations to coroners to support fatality investigations.