Mauao is a hot spot over summer and for good reason. Boasting some of the most breath-taking views over the rohe and moana, Mauao sees visitors and locals hitting the walking tracks in thousands over the summer period.

With more people out and about it's also a timely reminder for everyone using the tracks to keep an eye out for the rescue makers on the maunga.

The joint project, started in 2022 by Ngā Poutiriao ō Mauao (Mauao Joint Administration Board) and the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, aims at making it easier for emergency services to locate anyone that has fallen or suffered a medical event on the mountain.

Mauao. Photo: John Borren.

Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service - MMLS - volunteer John Svendsen says that since having the markers in place there have been some successful rescue responses.

'Mauao isn't small, and the steep terrain can make it difficult to pinpoint where people are when needing help,” says John.

'Now, with the rescue markers in place, even those not familiar with the maunga can easily be located by identifying the nearest marker.”

The surf club has operated a call-out squad for nearly 80 years, with roughly half of the responses each year to people who have fallen or suffered a medical event on the flanks of the 232m extinct volcanic cone.

"We work closely with Police and St John to help people up the hill and finding them quickly as getting them the right treatment is critical," says John, who helped develop the concept.

Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service's John Svendsen and Tauranga City Council ranger Josh Clark with markers that will help emergency services respond faster up Mauao this summer. Photo: Dscribe Media.

"There's a lot of land on Mauao and often we struggle to get the exact details of where a patient is. Not everyone knows the track names - and stress always causes a bit of disorientation - so we've pinpointed all the markers with GPS coordinates and laid them out so that you're never any further that 50m from the nearest marker, when you're enjoying the beautiful views or getting some exercise in," says John.

Emergency services have all the coordinates on their computer system, meaning they can now task lifeguards directly to the patient.

With 75 rescue markers on Mauao, clearly located on wooden posts, gates and seats, the markers are all within 50metres of each other and are hard to miss. Anyone using the tracks on Mauao is encouraged to familiarise themselves with the markers as they go.

Tauranga City Council Natural Environment Advisor for Mauao, Josh Clark says it's encouraging that members of the public are becoming familiar with the markers especially over summer.

'When on the maunga, we encourage everyone to be mindful and take note of the nearest marker number when passing – know your number," says Josh.

'We want to make sure that everyone can be safe and have fun here on Mauao. It can get pretty busy, and we appreciate everyone's patience during this time of year,"

If there is an emergency event on Mauao call 111. All markers have associated GPS coordinates so that emergency services can identify exactly where on the maunga the call-out squad need to be.

Quick key for international visitors:
Maunga - mountain
Rohe - region
Moana - sea