Bushcraft Course

Gain the fundamental knowledge, practical skills, and confidence to explore New Zealand's wilderness safely. Designed specifically for adults with little or no prior NZ bushcraft experience, this comprehensive training prepares you to plan and execute safe day hikes and overnight tramping trips.

This course equips you with core outdoor competencies to handle unpredictable backcountry conditions.

Essential Trip Planning & Preparation

Learn how to prepare thoroughly before stepping onto the trail.

• The Land Safety Code: Understand the 5 core rules for outdoor safety in New Zealand.

• Trip Planning: Map out routes, estimate travel times, and leave intentions with trusted emergency contacts.

• Weather Interpretation: Read MetService forecasts, evaluate mountain weather patterns, and recognize early indicators of changing conditions.

Gear, Clothing & Emergency Equipment 

Pack smart to stay warm, dry, and protected in the bush.

• Layering Systems: Select appropriate base, insulation, and waterproof layers to prevent hypothermia.

• Essential Gear Checklist: Pack vital outdoor survival gear, food, water treatment, and light sources.

• Emergency Communications: Master modern emergency tools, including Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), satellite messengers, and mountain radios.

Field Navigation & Outdoor Survival Skills Develop practical spatial awareness to stay on track and manage unexpected nights out.

• Map Reading & Compass Fundamentals: Read topographic contour lines, key map symbols, and orient your position.

• Emergency Shelters: Learn how to pitch flysheets, utilize natural shelters, and construct bivouacs during emergencies.

• Backcountry Risk Management: Recognize trail hazards, manage group pacing, and apply basic environmental care principles (Leave No Trace).

Introduction to Navigation Theory and Practical Course

Fading light, thick fog, or delayed trips can quickly turn a routine outdoor adventure into a complex navigational challenge. Our Night Navigation Course provides the practical skills and confidence needed to safely navigate the New Zealand backcountry after dark. This hands-on evening course teaches essential low-visibility and night-time travel techniques.

What You’ll Learn

• Topographic Map & Magnetic Compass Skills: Learn how to shoot accurate bearings, adjust for magnetic declination, and follow precise compass lines in complete darkness.

• Digital & Offline GPS Navigation: Practice using mapping apps (such as Plan My Walk) and GPS devices safely at night, including battery conservation and backing up digital tools.

• Night Terrain Interpretation: Recognize natural landforms, contour shapes, handrails, and catch features when visibility is limited.

• Dead Reckoning & Pacing: Accurately estimate distance traveled over varied terrain using step counts and time calculations.

• Relocation & Backcountry Safety: Understand what to do if you lose the track, how to relocate your position, or when to safely shelter in place.

River Safety Course

Master essential river safety and crossing techniques on this intensive, one-day practical course. Purpose-built for hikers, tramping enthusiasts, and Te Araroa Trail walkers, this training equips you with the critical decision-making skills needed to evaluate hazards, assess water conditions, and safely negotiate New Zealand’s dynamic river systems.

Understanding River Characteristics & Hydrology

Learn to read the water before stepping off the bank.

• River Anatomy: Identify main currents, eddies, strainers, undercut banks, and gravel bars.

• Flow Dynamics: Recognize how speed, depth, bed friction, and catchment size affect water force.

• Weather & Catchment Awareness: Predict sudden river rises by assessing mountain weather, snowmelt, and upstream rainfall.

River Hazards and Decision-Making Frameworks

Develop sharp judgment to know when to cross and, crucial to survival, when to turn back.

• Hazard Assessment: Evaluate speed, depth, runout zones, water clarity, and debris.

• The Go / No-Go Call: Use systematic risk assessment tools to make confident, unbiased safety decisions.

• Route Selection: Identify safer entry and exit points, natural gravel ramps, and gentle river bends.

Preparing to Cross and Gear Logistics

Set yourself up for a stable crossing before entering the water.

• Pack Preparation: Unclip waist belts and chest straps for rapid pack jettisoning in a sweep.

• Footwear & Clothing: Choose suitable footwear for traction and manage layers to avoid hypothermia.

• Group Briefing: Establish emergency signals, line of sight, and team roles before stepping in.

River Crossing Methods and Techniques

Hands-on practice using proven, standard safety methods.

• Mutual Support Method: Master group crossing formations (line, wedge, and bundle) to maximize stability and collective mass.

• Individual Crossing Method: Practice single-person techniques using trekking poles or sturdy timber for a secure three-point stance.

• In-Water Execution: Learn proper foot positioning, angled navigation against currents, and maintaining continuous stability.

Emergency Recovery & River Safety

Know exactly what to do if you or a teammate lose footing.

• Self-Recovery: Practice the defensive swimming position (feet downstream, on your back) to navigate rapids safely.

• Throw Lines & Group Rescue: Utilize throw bags and team recovery tactics to rescue swept hikers.

• Hypothermia Management: Apply immediate field care for cold-water exposure and unexpected submersions.