Tramping in New Zealand safety · Safety in Tramping in New Zealand
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Safety in Tramping in New Zealand
Safety in Tramping in New Zealand
Tramping the New Zealand bush (forests) can be extremely dangerous if you are not properly prepared and equipped. The weather can change without warning. If you don't have the right equipment you may die from hypothermia. Additionally, rivers and streams often rise rapidly during rainstorms and you run the risk of drowning of you try to cross them when they are in flood. has some information online but it is recommended that you visit a DOC office before setting out on a trip. You should always ensure you tell someone reliable of your plans, and inform them when you return. You can do this at a DOC office.
The New Zealand bush is very dense in most places. Unless extremely experienced, you should not leave marked tracks.
Listen for the weather forecasts, especially the mountain forecast, broadcast by most AM and FM radio stations, normally every hour, just after the news (and also in the evening TV news). This means having a pocket transistor radio and perhaps a few extra metres of wire to boost the aerial. Also, if you are going into the backcountry for a few days you may want to hire a mountain radio or emergency locator beacon.
In most back country areas, water can be drunk directly from streams. In some areas, such as the Mangatepopo Valley in the North Island's mountain plateau, diseases such as Giardia are present. The safest options are to use a water-purifying tablet, such as iodine, or to boil water for at least 3 minutes.
Due to the highly variable nature of the weather and the rough topography, be prepared for anything. In higher areas, snow is common even in summer, and extremely heavy rain is common in the backcountry. The New Zealand bush is spectacularly beautiful but very unforgiving. Each year there are deaths while tramping, often due to hypothermia, falls, drownings. Make sure you do not stretch yourself beyond your abilities. If in doubt, check at a local DOC office, the staff are friendly and have lots of good information and tips.
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Tramping in New Zealand Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.