Te Papa boss 'often ignored tramping advice'

Former Te Papa boss Seddon Bennington did a lot of things people advised him not to do when tramping, his former wife says.

Frances Bennington, who separated from Dr Bennington three years ago, said he never carried a compass but instinctively knew how to find a hut in the bush.

She gave evidence yesterday on the final day of a coroner's inquest into the deaths of Dr Bennington, 61, and tramping companion Marcella Jackson, 54.

Both died of hypothermia on July 11 after they were caught in blizzard-like conditions on the Tararua Range trying to reach Kime Hut. Their bodies were found four days later.

Mrs Bennington said she had gone tramping many times with Dr Bennington in Arthur's Pass.

"I remember once, in deep snow in Arthur's Pass, we did not find the hut until nearly midnight. We did a lot of things people advised us not to do."

When coroner Tim Scott asked Mrs Bennington to clarify what that meant, she replied: "When we were tramping, people would often say, `Don't go up there,' but then we would go up."

The weather never turned out to be anything they could not handle, Mrs Bennington said.

Dr Bennington did not always check the weather before tramping. "He had been up [to Kime Hut] on Queen's Birthday Weekend and he told me he got up to the hut before a storm came in. He was a very able tramper and would never give up. He would always keep going until he got to the hut."

Stephanie Timms, Dr Bennington's partner of seven months at the time of his death, was also one of five people to give evidence. She said Dr Bennington did not have a home phone or internet connection and did not regularly monitor weather forecasts. He used his BlackBerry to stay connected.

Ms Jackson's sister-in-law, Jan Morgans, said the weekend the pair went tramping was the only one Dr Bennington had free. It was likely he did not want to disappoint Ms Jackson by calling off the trip.

Wellington trampers Simon Tuohy and Jessie Wilson told the coroner of meeting Dr Bennington and Ms Jackson about half-way along the track, at Field Hut, on the day they went missing.

Mr Tuohy said he asked Dr Bennington if he had seen the weather forecast for the next few days and got the impression he had not checked recently.

"He seemed interested to hear it but he didn't seem concerned."

The coroner reserved his decision until next week.

- © Fairfax NZ News