Opinion: Number of rescues off Tongariro Crossing no surprise

The 19km Tongariro Crossing is a memorable tramp - make it memorable for the right reasons.

It comes as no surprise to me the number of people needing to be rescued from the Tongariro Crossing.

in the past week Central North Island police and LandSAR have had to rescue five people who underestimated the challenges of the alpine walk.

At least three of those called for help after finding themselves too cold and exhausted to continue.

It is well advertised this walk can take on average eight hours to complete and has trekkers walking through temperamental alpine conditions.

Yet when I did it, there were people in jandals and jeans, chugging on cigarettes, carrying just a small bag of chips for sustenance.

That is no exaggeration.

My husband and I like to tramp - day walks are our favourite - so of course this Great Walk was at the top of our lists.

While my fitness could have been better, we certainly weren't underprepared. We each had two 2.5-litre water bottles, thermals (despite doing the walk in February), sunblock, a first aid kit and food. Lots of food.

We set out at 7am and from the get go, were among a long line of trampers.

It was not an easy slog; the sun was beating down on us and I quickly had my pants rolled up and thermal top around my waist.

Reaching the Red Crater - about the halfway point - we were feeling good, and still had two-and-a-half bottles of water between us.

We were sitting down having lunch when two Japanese tourists who spoke little English tentatively approached us. They held up an empty 400ml mini Pump bottle, gesturing to our well stocked stash.

We gave them one of our full bottles, knowing there was no way they would be able to make the rest of the trip (at least another three hours) with no water, even though it ultimately meant we would run out in the last 30 minutes of our walk.

Had those tourists not been able to get more water, I have no doubt they would have ended up among the statistics of those rescued off the track.

The Tongariro Crossing is a beautiful walk and I absolutely encourage people to do it, but police nail it on the head when they warn that it's not your average stroll in the park, to be undertaken lightly.

The 19km tramp is a memorable achievement. Make sure you're properly prepared so it's memorable for the right reasons.