By Katie Todd of RNZ

A major increase in rescues on a popular Mount Aspiring National Park track has prompted a new safety campaign.

The Mountain Safety Council hopes a new video that highlights the rugged terrain and rapidly changing alpine conditions on the Brewster Track will help trampers better prepare, after two deaths in five years and 26 rescues in the past two years.

Chief executive Mike Daisley said people often fell into trouble trying to cross the Haast River or beyond Brewster Hut on the exposed, rugged and unmarked route to Brewster Glacier.

He said an inter-agency taskforce was set up in April 2024, with representatives from the council, Department of Conservation (DOC), Land Search & Rescue New Zealand, MetService and police.

"We wanted to find a workable solution that didn't stop people from enjoying this environment," he said. "It's not about saying 'don't go' - it's about being prepared.

The video was published on YouTube and DOC installed new signs at the start of the track and hut last summer, warning trampers of hazards like rapidly changing alpine weather, the river crossing and difficult terrain.

"There's quite a gap between the type of walk people are expecting and what they actually ultimately find on the track," Daisley said.

The choice to focus on education, rather than building a more clearly marked route, came down to the terrain.

"Mother nature has its own way of doing things," he said. "That extreme alpine environment tends to destroy things that are man-made pretty quickly, so there's a bit of an element of futility.

"Also, it's of big conservation value, the environment that's there. Building tracks through these things is not the first option.".

DOC Central Otago operations manager Charlie Sklenar said people should plan using reliable sources, like the council's Plan My Walk tool, rather than unofficial social media posts.

"DOC doesn't manage any of the hazards between the end of the track at the hut and Brewster Glacier," she said. "The terrain there is more challenging than it looks and requires experience in hiking off-track in remote New Zealand alpine areas.

"You'll still get incredible views and some great naturing experiences right from the hut - without putting yourself at risk."