New Zealand Adventure Guides: Risk Disclosure
Before booking a tour with NZ Adventure Travel Guides Limited (NZATG: trading as New Zealand Adventure Guides) you should be aware that there are inherent risks involved in travelling around New Zealand, hiking on New Zealand’s trails, and driving on New Zealand’s roads.
Under the New Zealand Adventure Activity Regulations, the New Zealand Government requires NZATG to provide you (our prospective guests) with detailed information on the potential risks you could face while undertaking our activities, and to get you to acknowledge and accept the risks involved BEFORE joining one of our multi-day tours, Fiordland day tours, or Fiordland day hikes.
On an NZATG tour you could be exposed to risk during the following three activities:
i) Travelling around New Zealand in geologically active areas that have the potential to create natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes, and tsunamis
ii) Hiking on New Zealand’s tracks
iii) Driving on New Zealand’s roads
Risks associated with natural hazards: as a geologically young and active country New Zealand has experienced in the past, and could experience in the future, natural hazards including:
Earthquakes: which are possible throughout the country as New Zealand is located on a fault line between two tectonic plates
Active and dormant volcanoes: the city of Auckland (and surrounding islands) is situated on top of dormant volcanoes, while tours though the Central North Island in Rotorua, Taupo, and Tongariro National Park are close to dormant and active volcanoes
Tsunamis: New Zealand is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. All coastal areas of the country are exposed to the risk of tsunamis, including Milford Sound (the majestic fjord that many of our tours visit)
Weather: as an island nation, New Zealand can be exposed to severe weather events that can result in heavy rainfall, strong winds, and snow fall/avalanche hazards (even in summer). Such weather events can wash out roads and bridges, and create avalanches, treefall, landslides and rockfall, all of which can close roads or cause danger to guests in our vehicles, as well as impact our ability to continue on our planned driving route.
Risks associated with hiking: NZATG guides hikes on trails managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). The majority of the trails we use on our tours are rated by DOC as easy to intermediate, meaning they are suitable for people with moderate fitness and abilities. The trails are signposted and well formed, although some sections may be rough, rocky and/or have exposed tree roots that provide opportunities to slip or fall. Some sections may be steep and be muddy after rain.
Many of our hikes are in remote mountainous areas that have dense bush (forest) below treeline and rugged alpine terrain above treeline, with many steep rivers and waterfalls. Unpredictable weather including heavy rain, high winds, and snow can occur at any time throughout the summer which have the potential to create the following inherent risks on our hikes:
slippery trails above hazardous areas where there is a risk of falling, that could result in injury and death
hazards from above, such as rock fall and landslides
flooded creeks and rivers
strong winds with potential to blow people off exposed areas, such as on ridges or above cliffs
cold temperatures which increase the possibility of hypothermia
It’s important that guests wear appropriate outdoor clothing for the conditions to prevent exposure to hypothermia. NZATG has detailed operating policies and procedures to reduce the risk associated with our hikes including:
Monitoring weather forecasts and weather patterns
Ensuring guests have appropriate clothing for the conditions
Employing experienced guides who are continually assessing risk, and identifying and managing hazards
Guides are trained in outdoor first aid, and carry first aid kits and satellite phones for emergencies
Guides are empowered to cancel the hike, modify the hike, or offer a safer alternative hiking option if they feel that the risk is too high on any given day
You are required to adhere to any instructions given to you by your guide at all times including the wearing of appropriate clothing for the conditions. Failure to comply with any instruction could result in you being unable to continue on the hike, or the tour.
Risks associated with driving: the roads in New Zealand are narrow and can be winding as they travel along rivers and rugged coastlines or through steep alpine terrain. The risks associated with driving on New Zealand’s roads include:
Natural hazards (as listed above) occurring causing vehicle accidents
Foreign drivers who are not accustomed to the road conditions in New Zealand, and who have never driven on the left side of the road and who may drift into oncoming traffic
Other drivers who are driving too fast for the road conditions
Impatient drivers who are stuck behind our trip vehicles and make dangerous passing maneuvers
Driver fatigue
Foreign guests crossing roads on foot and being hit by traffic coming from the opposite direction than they expected.
We mitigate these risks by:
Employing guides who are experienced drivers with the appropriate licences for the vehicles they are driving
Requiring that our drivers adhere to the speed limit
Requiring drivers to maintain a log book recording the hours they work to avoid driver fatigue
Advising guests that the only incident NZATG has had in its operation since 2013 was a guest who was hit by a car while trying to cross the road on foot, while looking the wrong way.
As the primary person booking with NZATG, you are responsible for ensuring that all members of your group understand the risks involved in participating on one of our multi-day tours, day tours, or day hikes. Before you embark on one of our activities, it is a NZ Government requirement that all members are required to sign an acknowledgement of risk form. Parents and guardians will need to sign on behalf of each child under 18 years old.