Thread: Hi all kiwi hunters

Hello @Young dane. I tell the less experienced visitors we get (extended family and their friends) who want to head off into the mountains, that the New Zealand backcountry is like a leopard, very beautiful to look at, and quite keen on killing you. Corny and OTT I know, but it gets their attention. So the first and most important task for you is to carefully read through the Mountain Safety Council website, and take everything they say very seriously.

https://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/re...r-safety-code/

Your preparation will determine your success, not so much in terms of animals you shoot, but how much you are able to enjoy the environment without stressing. This is particularly relevant to our visitors who might be on a tight schedule. The fear of missing out can lead to otherwise intelligent people making very poor decisions!

May is a difficult month to plan for. Being autumn, the weather can be summer like, or very winter like. Sometimes both on the same day. You have to be prepared to change location, if the forecast is shit for 2 weeks, move, there's no point hanging around. Moving as far as you need to is important, leave the Southern Alps and drive to the Central North Island if you have to.

Planning a trip is fun, I enjoy it at least. I try to have two options for each part of the trip, a good weather option, a poor weather option.

In terms of meeting people to help you, I would make sure you can demonstrate to people you have worked through all the basics first, and have some sensible plans to discuss.