Thread: Navigation

Originally Posted by mpf

manganuiohau ????

now how did you know that - yup more buggers lost at the lake over there than virtually any where else - the top part is easy country so hunter gets confused and heads down the valley - the one that walked 25 km was missing for a no of days over there - I think from memory 3 days - rang us from Mangataniwha station below lower Waiau Gorge - I am ( name ) I am at a sheep station - no one home used phone - okay true right - yes - bull dozer in shed - yes - stay we will get you - Andy Shaw was at Aniwaniwa with Jet Ranger - him and I flew over and got him - prick of a flight in a JR blowing and drizzle but we did it - he said did not want to be a burden to SAR- I am a member of Wellington SAR - Andy Shaw our local pilot then was sadly killed in a huey doing heavy lift in Wellington - how that hunter got thru the lower Waiau gorge beyond me on his own - I have done it as a group and its bloody nasty - we had a number of searches in the Manganuiohau for lost hunters but most would hit first clearing and stay there - the hut down in there the Otuanoa I wonder if that survived the Tuhou blietzreig - we did it up around 1990 - difficult to find but neat little bivy

Two sayings that always stuck with me to remember how to convert magnetic bearings to grid bearings and vice versa:

GrandMa Sucks = Converting Grid (Grand) to Mag (Ma) you subtract (Sucks) the magnetic variation detailed in your map from the grid bearing which gives you the mag bearing.

Machine Gun Automatic = Converting Mag (Machine) to Grid (Gun) you add (Automatic) the magnetic variation detailed on the map to your mag bearing which gives you the grid bearing.

the first and last photos are the two that are of most relevance to me.. hope it is of some help to someone.
the aiming off---handrail feature is pretty much always my plan when out on a hunt....

Always taught and used, "variation East, magnetic Least.
Essentially true north compass bearing is 340 degrees read on the compass card.
Magnetic compass bearing Sth is approx 160 degrees.
Just be sure never to have steel such as knife, rifle, watch, spade, slasher, battery steel buckle, machete etc or vehicle anywhere near the compass or you will likely read a magnetic bearing several degrees in error. Also be wary of static electricity from rubbed plastic such as wet cover or spectacle frame which will also affect the compass needle.
Also, sunrise in eadt. Sunset in west. South facing sloprs are wetter and south side of tree trunks generally wetter and may be mosseyer.
Knowing how cyclonic vs anti cyclonic weathe systems work can also give good approximate direction bearings relatove to your latitude and terrain but be careful.

cellphones are shockers for it too..and DO NOT store compass in with batteries or your phone,your needle can switch polarity which really stuffs up your day.

Went down a youtube rabbit hole the other day about the whole planet switching polarity, now that's gonna cause some navigational headaches should it eventuate

I did the mountain safety navigation course about 20 years ago. It was a good day out and even though I thought I was already pretty good, I learned a fair bit in one day.