Search and rescue techniques will be tested and honed during a three-day event at Berwick next weekend.
The Milton and Clutha Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) groups are hosting the annual Tautuku Cup at the Otago Youth Adventure Trust's Berwick Lodge near Waihola next weekend.
The Southern Region LandSAR contest is held annually and was won last year by the Milton group, gaining hosting rights.
Police LandSAR liaison officer for South Otago Sergeant Craig Dinnissen said 11 teams would compete for the coveted Tautuku Cup during a field search over three to four hours on Saturday.
Teams would draw one of 11 tracks and, once deployed, would have to search, locate, treat with first aid and recover an injured or missing person from an unknown bush area. They would use search and rescue-specific skills such as sound lines, sign cutting and bush first aid.
"It's going to be very challenging, especially with the terrain at Berwick," Sgt Dinnissen said.
"There is open bush to dense bush, and relatively steep land."
Victims would be played by local volunteers, LandSAR members' children, scouts and Duke of Edinburgh participants.
Sgt Dinnissen said this year's Tautuku Cup followed a different timetable from that of previous years, as it would also include a "tabletop exercise" on Friday night and a regional meeting on Sunday.
A youth team would be among the 11 competing, which Sgt Dinnissen believed was a first for the competition.
The event was a chance for LandSAR groups to train and socialise with other groups in the Southern region, he said.
The weekend would also give groups a chance to develop logistics, management and planning skills as well as field training.
About 150 people are expected at Berwick during the weekend, including volunteers from LandSAR groups and locals. The event had received donations from local groups and individuals.
Originally created by the Catlins LandSAR group and named after a camp in the area, the Tautuku Cup is in its sixth year.
