Wānaka Police Senior Sergeant Fiona (Fi) Roberts is reminding people to be well prepared before heading outdoors, especially if taking part in water related activities.

Her warning follows a busy few weeks for local Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers, with four incidents in the Southern District in the past week alone.

These included Wānaka SAR dealing with two incidents in the Timaru Creek catchment (Lake Hāwea) last week.

Queenstown police and LandSAR volunteers also successfully rescued a pair of kayakers who did not return from a trip in Queenstown.

Fi said police were notified at 11pm of two people missing after going to Lake Wakatipu.

“Police LandSAR, Coastguard Queenstown, and two rescue helicopters were deployed to search for the pair. They were located on the water in the early hours of the following morning, with a single lifejacket between them and no overnight gear,” she said.

“This is one of the four recent SAR incidents in the last week in the Southern District, with one other involving kayaks and two with dangerous high rivers.”

On Tuesday October 8 one person died following a water-related incident in Milford Sound after a report of two people needing assistance while kayaking.

“It is a timely reminder as we head into the warmer months to take care on lakes and rivers,” Fi said.

“Police urge anyone going near lakes or rivers, no matter the skill level, to take the basic precautions to keep themselves safe in case something goes wrong.” 

Advice includes wearing a lifejacket (making your chances of survival much greater); having a form of waterproof communication (or put your phone in a waterproof bag inside your lifejacket); checking the weather forecast and change your plans if needed; telling someone where you are going and when you will come back; and taking care of yourself and others with warm clothes, extra food, and regular breaks.

Fi said a personal locator beacon is “the lifeline when in a life-threatening situation”, providing essential information to help rescuers get to you. They can be hired for as little as $10 from Department of Conservation visitor centres and outdoor tramping and hunting stores; they should be registered.

Find more information about outdoor safety, including free resources and videos, here.

Road policing

The police Impairment Prevention Team was in Wānaka on Friday (October 11), and 372 drivers were screened through checkpoints resulting in one EBA (excess breath/blood alcohol) and two infringement offence notices.

Fi said the police were pleased with the mountain traffic at Cardrona Alpine Resort’s closing day on Sunday (October 13).

However: “Road policing units report continued high speeds on the open roads,” she said.

Call 111 when you need an emergency response from police, fire or ambulance.

Call 105 to report things that don’t need urgent police assistance.

Call *555 to report road incidents that are urgent but not life-threatening.

To make an anonymous crime report contact Crime Stoppers.

PHOTO: Wānaka App