Why the Tararua Range kills
‘‘The Tararuas’’ are the largest conservation park in the North Island, but also one of the deadliest, writes Brittney Deguara.
The wind whipping through the Tararua Range is enough to knock trampers down. ‘‘There are times when you can’t stand up,’’ says Pete Smith, of the Tararua Trampers Club. ‘‘The wind, it cuts right through you, you’ve really got to get out of the wind.’’
Even experienced trampers like Smith aren’t a match for the severe weather that batters the range – and that is why it is becoming one of the deadliest spots in New Zealand for outdoor adventurers.
The range is the largest conservation park in the North Island and is visited by around 152,000 people a year, but it’s also claimed an estimated 22 lives since the 1970s. It’s one of the country’s hotspots for tramping-related incidents, behind the Fiordland and Tongariro national parks.
The Tararuas – as the range is more commonly known – present some of the most challenging conditions in the country, according to the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council.
‘‘Despite the relatively low elevation, the combination of rough, steep and densely bush clad mountains and frequent severe weather which often provides gale force winds, driving rain and little visibility, the Tararuas provide a true test of tramping ability,’’ its website says.
Department of Conservation Wairarapa operations manager Kathy Houkamau says ‘‘the difficult terrain and the changeable weather conditions’’ are the biggest risks for trampers entering the area.
‘‘The terrain in the Tararua Forest Park is often steep and can be difficult to navigate, especially in unfavourable weather conditions.’’
The higher you climb, the more extreme the weather events, according to LandSAR chief executive Carl McOnie.
‘‘Each environment offers its own hazards and risks associated with its terrain . . . in sub-alpine [locations], weather is always going to be an issue.’’
In the last 30 days, winds in the Tararuas reached 96kmh, according to MetService data, and temperatures in June average well below 10 degrees Celsius, with a minimum of 0C, according to Niwa.
The location and topography of the park weather can ‘‘change rapidly’’, according to Houkamau.
‘‘Where there are no tracks, the bush can be thick and there are some river crossings to be navigated,’’ she said.
In addition to the wind and cool temperatures, whiteout conditions prove to be even more dangerous.
‘‘If you’ve got whiteout conditions, it’s very difficult to know exactly where you are. It’s quite difficult because you can’t [see] the hill in front of you or beside you . . . you can’t see anything,’’ Smith says.
He stresses the importance of trampers being well prepared before venturing into the range.
‘‘You’ve got to be extra cautious and make sure you’ve got your map and compass out and know where you are . . . and where you’re going,’’ he says.
‘‘You’ve got to know when not to go, it’s no good pushing ahead.’’
Another member of the tramping club, John Thomson, echoes that: ‘‘You really have to be prepared to deal with whatever weather is up there.’’
The weather is ‘‘so changeable’’ and unpredictable, he says.
The poor weather conditions also prove difficult for those tasked with locating and saving lost trampers.
McOnie says some search and rescue personnel aren’t equipped for certain terrain, which is why they have alpine cliff rescue teams.
‘‘We’re not going to put average search and rescue volunteers . . . into an alpine cliff environment,’’ he said.
According to the Mountain Safety Council, 186 people were the subject of search and rescue operations in the range between 2010 and 2017.
In that same period there were five fatalities, making it the top spot for tramping deaths in the North Island. The most recent was Wellington tramper, Darren Myers, who was the subject of a week-long search that ended in tragedy on Wednesday.
2019: Darren Myers, 49
For 11 days, search and rescue teams scoured the dangerous and rugged terrain in wet and windy weather conditions for Myers.
It was the largest search operation in the range, with 75 instances of teams or helicopters venturing into the mountain in search of Myers, according to search and rescue manager David Eaton.
His body was found on Wednesday at the headwaters of Arete Stream. Police believe he fell and died ‘‘very suddenly’’ after phoning his wife.
‘‘There’s evidence of him having had a significant fall,’’ Police search and rescue incident controller Tony Matheson said.
Throughout the ordeal, Myers’ wife remained hopeful, but when the family received the news they were ‘‘so gutted’’, brother-in-law Duncan Styles said.
‘‘We are so grateful that it appears he hasn’t suffered, that he hasn’t been waiting for days and days out there to be found. We’re incredibly grateful to all the teams that have been out there looking for him.’’
2016: Mykhailo Stepura, 39, and Pavel Pazniak, 32
On November 19, 2016, Mykhailo ‘‘Michael’’ Stepura and Pavel ‘‘Paul’’ Pazniak embarked on an overnight adventure into the range.
Two days later, their bodies were found.
Located just 900 metres from their intended destination, police believe the pair, found without maps, a compass or GPS, were unprepared for the tramp.
The foreign nationals – Stepura originally from Ukraine and Pazniak from Belarus – died of hypothermia.
Pazniak’s wife alerted authorities to the missing pair on November 20, but fading light forced search and rescue teams to postpone their efforts.
The following day, a tramper found one of the bodies on the track, with search teams locating the second body just 50 metres away in shrubs.
A coronial inquest for the pair analysed photographs taken by the men on their journey, which showed them in open, exposed parts of the range.
Acting Sergeant Anthony Matheson explained they would have been out of shelter for up to eight hours and still had to traverse one of the most dangerous parts of the range known as the ‘‘dress circle’’.
The dress circle is an exposed part of the region and is where most hiking fatalities occur.
2016: John Arthur, 67
In August, 2016, John Arthur set out on a solo tramp but never returned.
The former fireman had a passion for the outdoors and spent a lot of time in the Tararuas, according to his family.
The 67-year-old failed to return to his car, prompting 50 police and volunteers to enter the region in search of him.
The initial search for the experienced tramper was called off because of the lack of light and poor weather, but resumed the following day.
His body was then found in the Field Park area of the range.
It’s believed he was well prepared for his short stay and tramp in the area but died due to the bad weather conditions.
2009: Seddon Bennington, 61, and Marcella Jackson, 54
In 2009, two friends, Seddon Bennington, the chief executive of Te Papa, and Marcella ‘‘Rosie’’ Jackson, set off on a tramp from Otaki Forks to Kime Hut.
They were reported missing after failing to return from their multi-day hike.
Their bodies were found by search and rescue teams just a kilometre away from their original destination, Kime Hut, and were 300 metres apart.
Both trampers died of hypothermia, despite Bennington wearing eight layers of clothing and Jackson wearing four.
An inquest for the pair found Bennington’s sleeping bag wasn’t suited to outdoor conditions, and Jackson’s jacket was better suited to skiing than tramping, according to Sergeant Noel Bigwood of Otaki police.
Bennington’s former wife, Frances Bennington, gave evidence at the inquest and explained he often ignored tramping advice.
‘‘I remember once, in deep snow in Arthur’s Pass, we did not find the hut until nearly midnight. We did a lot of things people advised us not to do,’’ she said.