Couple missing in Kahurangi National Park

and if you do need it, its the best money you will ever spend.....

I'm sorry but that article is either written by someone who at best is extremely naive or at worst just flat out ignorant. While I agree with a lot of the sentiments and would most likely have done a lot of what he suggests (rightly or wrongly) if I was in the same situation expecting authorities to endorse those actions shows a complete lack of understanding of how the world works. Let's address what appear to be the two major points. 1) LandSAR endorsing their staying put is "rubbish". "If you are lost stay put" is essentially the basic principle of search and rescue. There is not way they are going to openly criticise someone for doing that because if you do you are essentially endorsing "wander around as you see fit until you either get out or die". If at all justified SAR will never trash someone for 1) activating a PLB or 2) staying still if they feel genuinely lost/in trouble. They are there to save lives and these actions are proven over many studies and models to be the best actions to take to achieve this. 2) Calling for them to be charged because they left in level 3. I think we should all be aware by now the shaky legal ground the government/police were on when enforcing many of these lockdown rules/"laws". This is why we are seeing the whole lockdown challenged in court. This is why they can not force the two Mongrel Mob members back to quarantine if they are choosing not to go. The police are not going to start a highly expensive court case against them while there is already legal proceedings running which might throw out all existing convictions. The whole argument "experienced" people would have walked out is flawed to me. Staying pout when you are lost is not a *bad* decision to make. Stumbling on has been proven to be much worse on average. I think we need to be careful reflecting our own abilities and expectations on to other people and act like we could have just wandered out with no problems (which maybe we/I/you could have) and that they could have done the same. I think the article misses the major teaching points of 1) leave good intentions 2) Ensure you have proper navigational aids and at least a basic understanding of how to use them 3) Take a PLB! I have mentioned before but I can not criticise what they did after leaving (and putting aside rumours about why they were in there to start with). It was when they left and what they did — or didn't do — before they left which needs highlighting to me.

I agree with @Dodgydave. By similar logic, almost no rescue should have to happen. We still require rescues because people aren't perfect. The level 3 accusation is also just a distraction which lets people who are mad vent their anger... and there's been plenty of anger and fear going around aimed at any number of targets lately. Obviously they shouldn't have left when they did, but if the consideration is Covid-19 risk then there were people out at the height of lockdown who were doing things infinitely worse than going to an isolated place several days before than they were allowed to, and not being considered missing until some time after. There are far more appropriate things to criticise and (hopefully) learn from, but those things are all the same things which so-far haven't resulted in charging people for rescue in the past.

"The whole argument "experienced" people would have walked out is flawed to me. Staying pout when you are lost is not a bad decision to make. Stumbling on has been proven to be much worse on average." That article should never of seen light of day. Does anyone remember a case a few years ago of someone lost in a bush reserve near Auckland armed with 20 odd peanut butter sandwiches. The reserve was 5km across its longest boundary and searchers took 5 days to find him because he kept moving into already searched areas. Maybe this was the person that wrote that article

Completely right @geeves. My business partner is an ex-cop who worked SAR. They had an older guy lost in Pureora for a few days. Was eventually found dead curled up half buried in leaves in a sorta hole he had dug. Only a few hundred metres from a road/4WD track but in an area that had already been searched. He wandered around so much and crossed his own tracks so often even the dogs couldn't find him until it was too late.

i spoke to a guy in SAR about the guy lost in the hunuas near auckland they didnt publish everything they knew about the lost guy he was training to try and join elite military forces, told his family not to call SAR... not sure the exact reason they called sar, he didnt leave specific trip intentions. not sure he said how long he would be away, or they knew he had no shelter and not that much food. there was claims he was out for the day... he virtually circumnavigated the park... he was highly mobile and may well have known where he was and despite moving a long way managed to stay inside the park the are he travelled was about 10k across. he wasnt upfront himself with SAR and police but his family filled them in.

Do we know if elite military forces wanted him?

apparently, I think it was an overseas country, he wasnt born in Nz, possibly philippines from memory. his favourites TV show was.... Man Vs Wild...

Man v Wild. There is one episode I have watched several times. The one where he is crossing Siberia and reaches a small stream he has to cross. He suggests stripping off and putting his clothes in the pack then throwing it across to keep them dry. It actually sounds a good idea except that the reason to watch the reruns is the hope the pack might not make the other bank.

Does he address the issue of shrinkage in that episode?