Les rivières provoquent de graves incidents dans l'arrière-pays, car la profondeur, la vitesse et la stabilité du lit sont difficiles à évaluer depuis la berge. Un point de retournement planifié a plus de valeur qu’une manœuvre de traversée mémorisée.
Évaluer avant d’entrer
Vérifiez les prévisions, les pluies récentes et les conseils d'itinéraire avant le départ. Recherchez de l'eau montante ou décolorée, des débris en mouvement, un fort courant et aucune sortie sûre.
Si la rivière est en crue, attendez ou faites demi-tour. N'entrez pas pour tester la profondeur et ne traversez jamais simplement parce qu'un autre groupe est parti.
Utiliser honnêtement son expertise
Les compétences de traversée de rivières nécessitent un enseignement pratique et un bon jugement de groupe. Débouclez les sangles du sac là où des conseils qualifiés le recommandent et évitez de les relier d'une manière que le groupe n'a pas pratiquée.
Choisissez des ponts ou des alternatives marquées lorsqu’ils sont disponibles. Un itinéraire plus long est l'itinéraire correct lorsque le gué est douteux.
Les gués de véhicules sont aussi des dangers
Connaissez les limites de passage à gué du fabricant et l'état de fermeture de l'autorité routière. L'eau peut masquer les eaux usées et pousser un véhicule sur le côté à une profondeur étonnamment faible.
Ne contournez jamais une barrière anti-inondation. Garez-vous bien en retrait, attendez la réouverture officielle et gardez suffisamment de nourriture et de carburant pour le retard.
River crossings kill trampers here every year
New Zealand rivers rise fast, run cold and carry more force than they appear to. Drowning during crossings has historically been common enough to be described as the New Zealand death, and almost all of it involves people who decided to cross when they should have waited.
The decision is the skill. Turning back or waiting is always available and always safe; the crossing is not. If there is any doubt, there is no doubt.
Reading whether it is crossable
Look for a wide, straight, shallow reach with an even bed and a safe run-out below rather than rapids, logjams or a deep pool. Discoloured water, debris moving downstream, a rumbling sound of boulders and water above knee height on the shortest party member are all reasons not to cross.
Never cross where you cannot see the bottom, and never immediately above a hazard. Rivers change with every flood, so a crossing point described in an old guide may no longer exist.
If you do cross
Undo the waist belt and chest strap on your pack so it can be shed, keep boots on for grip, and face upstream slightly while moving across and downstream at an angle. Move one foot at a time and keep both feet planted before shifting weight.
Cross as a linked group where possible, with the strongest members on the upstream and downstream ends, and move together. If someone is swept away, they should go feet first on their back and swim for the bank at an angle rather than fighting the current.
Wait it out
Most New Zealand rivers drop as quickly as they rise, frequently within hours of the rain stopping. Carrying an extra day of food turns a dangerous decision into an inconvenient wait, which is why the standard advice is to plan for one.
Tell someone your intentions before you go so an overdue party triggers a response, and carry a personal locator beacon on any route with crossings. Both are cheap compared with the alternative.
Alternatives to crossing
Check whether a bridge exists upstream or downstream before committing, because many tracks have one within a reasonable distance and the detour is almost always shorter than the consequences of getting a crossing wrong.
Many New Zealand backcountry routes are unbridged by design, and the route description usually says whether crossings are expected. Where it does, treat that as a requirement for the skills and the willingness to wait rather than as a passing note.
Waiting is the most underused option available. Most rivers here drop within hours of the rain stopping, and carrying an extra day of food converts a dangerous decision into an inconvenient afternoon.
Learning before you need it
River crossing is a taught skill and reading about it is not the same as having practised. Outdoor clubs, guiding companies and some DOC visitor centres run or can point you towards training, and it is worth doing before a trip with crossings on it.
If nobody in the party has crossed a river before, choose a route that does not require it. There are plenty of excellent multi-day walks in New Zealand with bridged crossings throughout.
Lieux sur le chemin
Vérifiez avant de partir
Les règles et conditions changent. Revérifiez la source officielle et la page de votre parc ou terrain de camping exact avant le départ.
Emportez-le sur la route
Enregistrez les arrêts. Planifiez tout le voyage.
Créez un itinéraire ordonné à partir de lieux enregistrés, calculez la distance et conservez les dates, les notes et les tâches en pièce jointe.