Travel News

NZ travellers urged to be aware of risks

Travellers in New Zealand often need to be more aware of the risks inherent in visiting certain parts of the country, a safety official has said.

Phil Melchior, Land Search and Rescue board director, said 39 of the 111 rescues that were carried out between December and the end of February this year involved tourists who may have been ill-prepared for their trips.

Many of the people who got into trouble were in wilderness areas such as the mountains on New Zealand's South Island.

Mr Melchior said that promotion of such areas should also make people aware of their dangers.

"We're selling New Zealand with glossy brochures of our fabulous scenery and visitors are encouraged to get amongst it," he said.

"The problem is that tourists are sometimes ill-prepared, don't understand the system and get into trouble."

He went on to explain that safety messages are "drummed into" New Zealanders from an early age, but tourists cannot be expected to possess the same awareness of the danger that "lurks beneath the beauty" of the country.

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