Trampers lacked vital gear Inquest

A coroner says two trampers who died in the Tararua Forest Park were missing vital pieces of equipment and could have saved themselves by abandoning their planned route.

Mykhailo Stepura of Lower Hutt and Pavel Pazniak of Auckland died in the Southern Wairarapa park in November 2016. Stepura, 39, originally of Ukraine, and Pazniak, 32, from Belarus, set out on November 19.

They were found dead two days later, less than a kilometre from Alpha Hut.

In his report released yesterday, coroner Tim Scott said the pair were physically fit, and Pazniak had significant tramping experience but neither had tramped in the park before.

Scott said they were reasonably well-equipped, taking plenty of food and sleeping bags.

However, they had no survival blankets, waterproof covers for their sleeping bags, or a means of communication, apart from a cellphone.

They had no maps, compass, torch or emergency locator beacon, and no wet-weather gear to keep themselves dry.

The jackets they did have were described by a police officer as ‘‘the kind that one might use in wet weather for a half-hour shopping trip’’, Scott said. ‘‘These parkas were clearly inadequate against the weather conditions.’’

The Tararuas were notorious for changeable weather, with strong wind and rain common, Scott said.

‘‘Having not experienced the conditions or the park before, Paul and Michael probably did not realise they were likely to be out in exposed country for several hours before reaching Alpha Hut.’’

The pair took photos of each other which showed them in exposed open country against a strong wind, Scott said.

A police officer who knew the area estimated it would have been another eight hours’ walk from the place where the photos were taken to Alpha Hut.

Another police officer thought the pair should have turned back at the time the photos were taken, or at least taken a shorter route to the hut, Scott said.

But they did not, walking in

‘‘The further they went, the worse their situation became.’’ Coroner Tim Scott

poor weather with inadequate clothing for up to eight hours.

‘‘The further they went, the worse their situation became,’’ Scott said.

Not having a torch meant they would have struggled in darkness for the last part of their tramp.

Pazniak’s wife called emergency services on November 20 when he did not arrive on a flight back to Auckland as expected.

The person who found the dead trampers contacted police by cellphone. That showed it was possible for the trampers to call police with the phone they had but they would already have been suffering hypothermia and struggling in the dark, Scott said.

‘‘Even had they been [able to use the phone], I think their rescue at that late stage in the dark would have been unlikely.’’