Two dead in the Tararuas

Bennington's gung ho caught up with him by the sounds. Taking someone to altitude in June who "was more accustomed to pottering in the garden and West Coast whitebaiting than climbing with a heavy pack" was a tragic decision. Sounds like he gave his life trying to save hers.

"you really can't expect fairly inexperienced people to make all the right calls under weather and fatigue pressure." Maybe it's just terminology but I think it can be confusing sometimes. Bennington was described as "experienced", as have many people who've done highly questionable things, and in many respects they were. But, if your experience happens to be doing the same relatively risky stuff over and over, getting lucky and not necessarily learning and adjusting from mistakes or constructive feedback from others, then experience doesn't necessarily translate to either skill or good judgement. "Sounds like he gave his life trying to save hers." It could be. In this latest Alpha incident I've seen people express surprise, and notably suspicion (huh?!?), about where the two deceased people were reportedly found relative to each other and to Alpha Hut. I think much of the suspicion has just been people trying to find reasons of suspicion for its own sake. (The genuine nutcase branch of the anti-1080 brigade has really latched onto this one.) As with the Kime tragedy we may never learn detail of exactly what happened. It's risky to make assumptions without facts, but at least for doing away with suspicion, I can easily construct scenarios in my head about how one person would stop and stay with another in trouble, and then perhaps leave things too late for themselves.

I've followed this sad and tragic thread with much interest. Well done everyone on making many interesting contributions. All I can think to add is that all of us familiar with the Tararua's in particular know how the relentless wind on the open tops is both physically and mentally debilitating to fight against for hours on end, before even considering the insidious onset of hypothermia. I'd guess most of us have flirted with this same scenario at one time or another; arriving absolutely stonked at a hut and realising if for one reason or another we hadn't made shelter we would have likely made the same headlines ourselves. Sobering. My approach is similar to what a few others have outlined here; always having a Plan B, or C in mind. Always knowing what the alternative 'point of safety' is going to be if something goes wrong, or you need to turn back unexpectedly. Even if that 'point of safety' in the last resort is a bivvy bag curled up behind a rock, or in a tussock hollow out of the wind. Because ultimately tramping on into poor conditions when the only option you have is reaching the hut, is always a gamble that every now and then will have a tragic outcome. And a hard lesson to learn like this. My kind regards and sincere condolences to their family, friends and co-workers. Know that the tramping community shares in some small part your grief and sorrow at this loss; in circumstances we all can keenly identify with.

Coroner's back: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/103159777/dead-trampers-unprepared-for-alpine-conditions-in-forest-park > These distances could be misleading, because the exposed ridges could be demanding and difficult, Rix said. In his opinion, the two men were not wearing adequate protection from the weather, which they may have struggled through for a while. > Neither had a maps, compass, GPS or light source. > Rix said their planned route was ambitious, and the weather was stormy. He believed they died as they tried to reach Alpha Hutt. > Acting Sergeant Anthony Matheson showed the inquest photos the pair had taken on their cellphones. These only showed the pair in open, exposed parts of the ranges, away from the shelter of the bush. > He said it was expected they would be away from the shelter of the bush for at least another six-eight hours. They still had to climb Mt Hector and negotiate open country known as the "dress circle", where the majority of hiking fatalities in the Tararua Range happened, due to exposure. > It was apparent the pair were not well equipped for a prolonged period in the bad conditions, Matheson said. > The bravado of the pair in the photos showed they had little concern or appreciation of the risks associated with the alpine journey they were about to undertake, he said.

I know well experienced, well equipped hut baggers who have given up and stopped and camped for the night, to find they were 100m from the hut the next morning. They were prepared so lived to tell the story.

These guys weren't even carrying maps. If the smartphones failed or weren't equipped then it seems questionable if they even had much hope of even being able to figure out how close they were.... if it'd have had a hope of making a difference for them to know.

2 exerts from the article "Two trampers who died in Tararua Forest Park were just 900 metres away from their intended destination when they collapsed." "He said it was expected they would be away from the shelter of the bush for at least another six to eight hours. They still had to climb Mt Hector and negotiate open country known as the "dress circle", where most hiking fatalities in the Tararua Range happened, due to exposure." Im confused the 900 meters was going to take 6 hours???? I think from other info they were 900 meters from Kime hut which would fit in better with being on the Dress Circle and still to go over Hector. This would mean starting at Otaki Forks.

theres other info i recall reading that pointed to the fact they may have done neill winchcome ridge and then gone south, the ore likely scenario given tehir camera was full of photos traveling on the tops and you're more likely to get hypothermia going that way, if they went from alpha up then they would have only just gotten above the bushline after cimbing, they should still have been reasonably warm

@geeves, I'm fairly certain they were found ~900 metres from Alpha Hut, on the Alpha Peak side. (ie. Coming from the tops of Neill-Winchcombe.) I believe he's talking about the photos they found on the smartphones. ie. They were taken at a location where it'd still have been necessary to travel for 6 to 8 hours, including over Hector, before reaching shelter of Alpha. It's probably relevant when considering how well they appeared in the photos compared with how far they'd come by the point they were found, and maybe also because it'd have been possible to gauge roughly what times they were at various places relative to known weather, and how long the men had been lying where they were before being found.

@izogi Thanks for following up on this. A long time ago, very early on in my tramping life (I was barely 14) I had a close call with exposure on Ruapehu. It was pretty much dumb luck we both survived. The startling thing is how it can take two people out so very quickly, both found quite close to each other. We probably all scoff at least a bit whenever we see one of wayno's gloomier and doomier comments, but incidents like this lend some weight to his message. By comparison to peaks and alps elsewhere in the world the Tararuas can look modest and nonthreatening, but clearly these two guys underestimated the terrain they headed into. The route they took looks simple enough on the map, but it isn't an easy tramp at all. I know that whenever I was on a Tararua ridgeline I felt at least some sense of anxiety; because once that relentless damned wind picks up your good options can close in very fast, and this route is one of them. At the same time, I have to say that with huge advances in modern clothing and equipment, the availability of so much technology and information, not to mention PLB's ... really takes away a lot of excuses for this tragedy. Tramping should not and never will be a 'safe' pastime; there always will be an element of risk we need to be aware of and manage. But these two appear to have been oblivious to the risk they were sticking their necks into, and did little to manage it effectively. It's their families and friends who now have to deal with big gaps in their lives that I feel for. And it's no comfort to realise how needless their loss is. The best we can do is ensure the harsh lesson of it is not glossed over or forgotten.