Warm clothing is essential, and a sleeping bag, hot drink, ground sheet useful accessories depending on the location and time of year. A tape recorder and timing device is necessary. Recording the observing session allows continuous uninterrupted observation. For new observers, the simplest observation is merely to count meteors for 30 minutes to an hour. Subsequently brightness estimates, and distance across the sky estimates can be added.
Meteors are very hard to record photographically.
Even then only the brightest objects will be recorded, and there is a large element of luck in happening to have the camera pointed in the right direction. The Perseids are well known, but too low for New Zealand. The Orionids peak on 21 st October, but this year were associated with the full moon. Last year the Geminids put on a good display with up to 14 per hour, even though the radiant was fairly low. In 1998 Dennis went to Hawaii to observe the Leonids.