Cell phone could have saved trampers' lives

Coroner Tim Scott says a cell phone could have saved the lives of former Te Papa CEO and his tramping companion

A simple mistake cost the lives of former Te Papa CEO Seddon Bennington and his tramping companion in the Tararua Ranges last year.

Coroner Tim Scott has delivered the findings of an inquest into the deaths of Dr Bennington and Marcella Jackson, who both died from hypothermia during a blizzard.

Mr Scott says Dr Bennington was the more experienced tramper and the leader, whose responsibility was to check the weather conditions.

"Seddon may have checked the weather. But there's little if any evidence."

Mr Scott says their deaths may have been prevented if they had been carrying life-saving equipment, like a cell phone.

"I simply struggle to understand why anyone would leave such a basic and common piece of equipment behind."