Mystery couple rescue woman
Sarah Mazey is searching for a mystery couple who went ‘‘above and beyond’’ to help her after she hurt herself while tramping.
Mazey was rescued by an emergency helicopter after rolling her ankle during a tramp at Sawcut Gorge, in Marlborough, on Sunday.
But a married couple, along with their teenage son, came to Mazey’s aid first and assisted her through the two-hour ordeal.
Mazey said the man ran the entire way back to the start of the track to secure assistance. ’’Meanwhile his wife stayed with me and talked to me, trying to keep my mind off the pain,’’ she said.
‘‘They had no idea who I was but stayed with me to make sure that I was fine. I can’t thank them enough.’’
The 41-year-old had been tramping with her husband, Paul, and their two children, Ryland, 2, and Tyler, 3.
The children were strapped to the backs of their parents as they navigated through streams and rocky terrain.
About 1.50pm near Isolation Creek, just a 5-minute walk from the end of the trail, Mazey lost her footing.
She said she fell forward and to her side, conscious not to injure Ryland. ’’There was just a big hole where I had stood,’’ she said.
‘‘Apparently I just about blacked out because I was hyperventilating. I thought, ‘oh my god, how am I going to get out?’’’
Mazey’s husband took their children back to the car while her mystery rescuers handled the rest. The man managed to make contact with the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter once he reached the start of the trail.
Mazey was moved into the shade while the woman flagged down the aerial rescue. The teenage son walked to meet his father back at the start of the trail.
Mazey did not take the details of her helpers and said she was desperate to pass on her gratitude. ’’I would like to try and say ‘thank you’, and let them know that I am OK,’’ she said.
Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter duty pilot Duncan Gourley said the woman’s location complicated the rescue. It took an hour-and-three-quarters to locate, collect and transport Mazey to Wairau Hospital in Blenheim, Gourley said.
Mazey said the name of her male assistant might be Stan, after she remembered a connection between him and singer Stan Walker.
She said the man was Australian while his wife was Maori.