The hundreds of visitors to New Zealand's great outdoors last year who became the subjects of search and rescue operations might have avoided needing rescuing if they had followed a few basic rules, the New Zealand police and outdoors and tourism sectors say.
And as the summer season unfolds and an onslaught of visitors and locals take to the bush and mountains, concerned parties hope people will take on board a few simple outdoor safety rules.
LandSAR, the NZSAR Council, the Mountain Safety Council, the Department of Conservation, NZ Police, Tourism New Zealand, ACC, the Tourism Industry Association, Sparc and the Walking Access Commission have developed the "outdoor safety code", a set of five simple safety rules that will be displayed in posters around the country at places where people likely to be heading outdoors should see them.
In 2009, 245 (or 12%) of search and rescue (land and marine) operations involved visitors to New Zealand, a spokeswoman for the group said.
Many of those had been in the South, where tales like those of Israeli tourist Liat Okin, who went missing on the Routeburn Track, and climbers who had to be rescued from Mt Cook or Mt Aspiring often gripped the nation, she said.
Dunedin-Clutha police area emergency response manager Inspector Alastair Dickie said while visitors were often the subjects of searches, they were not the only ones who ventured out under-prepared.
The Silverpeaks area of Dunedin had seen search and rescue operations, many of them for locals and some which could have had fatal consequences, because of sudden changes in weather and people being under equipped and/or inadequately prepared.
The denseness of the bush in the Catlins had also caught out a few who had wandered off tracks and found there were no vantage points for them to get their bearings.
The Blue Mountains was another area where people had been periodically "geographically embarrassed" while hunting, he said.
Police national manager for emergency management Inspector Gerard Prins said many such incidents could have been prevented.
"We hear stories of visitors attempting the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in jandals, while others don't carry supplies because they assume there's a shop on the Heaphy.
"Rather than be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, we want to help ensure all visitors don't get into trouble in the first place."
Inspector Prins said the outdoor safety code comprised simple messages most New Zealanders using the outdoors should already know and could pass on to visitors, both domestic and overseas.
"Things like telling someone where you're going and how long you expect to be gone for. Check the weather and be prepared for unexpected changes. It's about pushing your boundaries, but limiting your risk. It's common sense, but it saves lives."
Tourism industry association chief executive Tim Cossar said tourism operators and the New Zealand public needed to be responsible hosts and spread the message about the code.
He called on everyone - not just those who worked in the tourism industry - when they met visitors to check they were prepared for their outdoor trip.
"We want our visitors to have a great time. But we need to tell them our weather changes quickly and in most parts of our remote back country, there's no mobile phone coverage.
"A mobile phone is not a reliable method of back-country communications.
"We want to encourage visitors to explore our country and challenge themselves, but we don't want their souvenir stories to be rescue tales."
As the summer tramping season approached, police, LandSAR and Doc's Aoraki/Mt Cook SAR teams were gearing up for a busy few months, Insp Prins said.
"At times during the summer we're involved in eight rescues a day across New Zealand. Most of those wouldn't be necessary if people followed the outdoor safety code."
Outdoor safety code
1. Plan your trip.
2. Tell someone your plans.
3. Be aware of the weather.
4. Know your limits.
5. Take sufficient supplies.
