Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation

The Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation (RARO) is a small, high profile group of professionally trained, enthusiastic alpine rescue personnel involved in any rescue activity in the Ruapehu region beyond the scope of normal ambulance or police rescue services .

To date the organisation has existed solely on donations from grateful survivors, relations of victims and small contributions from police funds and local organisations including Trustbank and Lions Clubs.

RARO was first established in April 1991 . Prior to this, independent organisations trained and funded their own staff with no formal training commitments or standards, with most of the responsibility falling on the shoulders of the Department of Conservation. The tragic deaths of six Army Adventurous Training Corp cadets on 13 August 1990 proved a need for a specialised alpine rescue group and was the catalyst for the formation of RARO .

George Iwama, a climber missing at the same time as the Army tragedy raised an original $5000 to buy search and rescue equipment. Donations have enabled a comprehensive rescue equipment store to be built up including specialised stretchers, a doctors trauma pack, helicopter rescue strops, ropes, lowering and raising hardware, belay packs and avalanche rescue equipment.

Along with equipment a major cost has been training. This has consisted of intensive training of a core group of about 12 team leaders, each representing their own organisation. The team leaders in turn pass these skills onto team members from their own organisation. The organisations contributing to the rescue group are Department of Conservation, Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, Turoa Ski Resort, Army Adventurous Training Corps and the New Zealand Police.

Team leaders train for waterfall hole/crevasse rescue, helicopter rescue strop training, hover loading and general helicopter use, avalanche rescue training, snow stretcher lowering and winter belaying.