FISHING OUT a Frenchman

EVERY YEAR, at least one tourist underestimates the danger of our wilderness with grave repercussions. I witnessed such an episode last summer.

I was tramping the Te Araroa Trail and was heading through the Ahuriri Valley. With me was a Frenchman I called Pierre. This wasn’t his real name but because he was voluntarily mute, he wasn’t in a position to argue. I’d heard of people like Pierre from other walkers heading