Summer is always the busiest period for Wānaka’s Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers, and with the return of overseas visitors to Wanaka and the Aspiring National Park, this summer could be especially busy.

Wānaka SAR chair Aaron Nicholson said SAR had already had 16 call-outs. 

“As always, our 70-odd volunteers are trained and prepared to deal with whatever the summer throws our way,” he said.

The local SAR is one of the busiest in the country, averaging 55-65 operations in a busy year, with the vast majority taking place between November and March.

The local SAR is one of the busiest in the country.

At the start of November Wānaka SAR conducted an annual backcountry training exercise at Minaret Station where the team practised, among other things, tracking a missing person and stretcher-carrying practice. 

Made up exclusively of volunteers, Wānaka SAR supports NZ Police and the NZ Rescue Coordination Centre.

It is organised into specialist teams covering alpine, bush, river and canyon rescue, and search management, Aaron said.

Aaron said there are a handful of basic principles people heading into the outdoors can follow this summer to reduce the chance of getting into trouble.

“No-one can guarantee that nothing will go wrong – but if people follow the basic principles…it will help keep them safe and make our lives easier,” he said.

He recommends: 

- Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Challenge yourself, but do it realistically. If you’ve never been tramping before, stick to marked tracks with huts. If you’ve never been climbing before, don’t decide that now’s the time to summit Mount Aspiring solo.

- Whatever your plans, share them. Leave a detailed outline of your intentions with a flatmate, parent or partner, which details where you’re going and when you expect to be back. Include a ‘panic’ date which states ‘if I’m not out by this date, ring the police on 111 and ask for search and rescue’.

- If you don’t already have one, think about getting a personal locator device for Christmas. There are several good options, and if you do have an unfortunate accident or get into some sort of difficulty, pushing the button is the fastest way to help and safety. Check out the MSC guide to different devices here.

- Gear up: Weather in the mountains can change dramatically and rapidly and exposure is a killer. Just because it’s a beautiful day when you leave Wānaka doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way for the duration of your trip.

Support Wānaka SAR here.

PHOTOS: Geoff Marks