The two men in street clothes rescued from the Mt Ngauruhoe summit over the weekend were better dressed for a quick bush walk, New Zealand Mountain Safety Council CEO Mike Daisley said.
Police told 1News that a climbing party stumbled across the underdressed men at 4pm on Saturday, who were wearing street shoes, jeans, cotton t-shirts and cotton hoodies.
At least two other climbers had attempted to turn them around during their ascent of the mountain, concerned with their lack of clothing and equipment, but they were ignored.
The cold and frightened men, unsure of how to descend the mountain without alpine equipment as the temperature began to drop, were flown to safety via helicopter.
Daisley joined Breakfast this morning, agreeing that it was hard to not roll his eyes when stories such as this occur.
"It's fantastic when people are out exploring, but it's really, really disappointing when you hear that people have been asked to turn around, they were very clearly out of their depth, they were ignoring good advice, and yet were persistent and continued," he said.
He said their attire was better suited for far less intense walking activities.
"What they were wearing is fine for a quick walk from a carpark for a half-hour walk in the bush in the middle of summer, but not when you're climbing in the snow.
Constable Mark Bolton from National Park Police, who coordinated the rescue, said yesterday that the incident was "one of the worst examples I have seen in recent years of day-walkers with inadequate knowledge, equipment and skill, climbing in an alpine environment," Daisley adding the bar had already been lowered by a different duo last week.
"In the same area, Red Crater, two individuals in basically street clothes. It's a disappointing thing, two times inside a week."
Daisley said planning in advance was key, as was keeping tabs on the climate.
"The absolute minimum is doing a little bit of preparation ... finding out about the track you're gonna be exploring, and the second most important thing is checking the weather on the day of your trip.
"Always, always take some warm clothes with you ... springtime temperatures just plummet at night, so take some warm clothes if it takes a bit longer."
He said simply communicating where you are, whether it's a tracker or telling others where you are going, is crucial.
"If you can get one, absolutely [do]. We highly recommend them, they're the best tool to find you if things do go wrong.
"[If not an option] telling someone that you trust, your flatmate, your mum, your best friend who's not going with you on the trip, tell them which track you're going on and when you expect to be back."
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