Reward for tramper’s lifesavers

Recuperating Czech hiker plans to thank Land SAR and DoC with a donation

The Czech tourist who watched her partner fall to his death on the Routeburn Track plans to donate money to the New Zealand agencies that saved her life.

Pavlina Pizova survived a harrowing month in a remote cabin, snowed in and alone after watching her partner, 27-year-old Ondrej Petr, breathe his last. She was found at the isolated Lake Mackenzie warden’s hut last Thursday.

While she recovers from hypothermia and frostbite, Pizova is resting at the Glenorchy home of Vladka Kennett, Consul for the Czech Republic.

“At the moment she can’t do much more,” Kennett said. “She’s just trying to recuperate and get everything back to normal, which is not easy, but she’s doing well.”

Kennett said Pizova’s intention was to give something back to those who helped rescue her and recover Petr’s body.

“She has decided to make a donation back to Land SAR and the Department of Conservation as a thank you.”

Land SAR is a charity, and volunteers in 2014 and 2015 donated nearly 20,000 hours of their own time to rescue operations and spent more than 76,000 hours training.

Kennett said Pizova wanted to return home to her family as soon as possible.

It has also been revealed this was not the first time Pizova, who is in her 30s, had been touched by tragedy in the mountains.

A friend of hers told Czech News Centre: “In a group of our friends there were several people who died in mountains or were seriously injured and they were really experienced mountaineers. We all knew that life is fragile but we [still] go to mountains.”

Pizova and Petr, both from tiny Czech towns, started their journey despite being warned off by Department of Conservation staff, having no tent or locator beacon and telling no Pavlina Pizova had a harrowing story to tell after her rescue from Routeburn Track. one of their plans. After just one night on the track in freezing conditions, they slipped about 7m down a steep slope. Petr fell further and became pinned between rocks and vegetation. Pizova tried but failed to reach him, and heard him take his last breath. Pizova’s survival has been labelled “courageous” and “resilient”, and she was praised by police and DoC for remaining at the hut, waiting to be rescued.

Her friend, who asked not to be named, said the couple had bonded over their shared love for the outdoors.

“She and Ondrej like hiking and mountaineering very much. I think she needed to be with someone active . . .

“She was able to hike 70km tracks just alone. She is handy, good at technical issues. When she went for a bike [ride] she was able to repair it on her own.”

The friend knew Pizova had planned to walk the Routeburn Track, but didn’t find it odd she hadn’t heard from her in a month because they didn’t speak regularly.

Another friend, who gave her name only as Martina, told Czech News Centre Pizova had been very active on Facebook, uploading many pictures in New Zealand.

Pizova’s last post was on July 14. Martina knew she hadn’t been in contact with any friends for a month.

Petr’s body was recovered by Search and Rescue on Friday. His death has been referred to the coroner.

HFor the latest updates on this story, visit nzherald.co.nz

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