Tramper and his dog rescued
A former press photographer out tramping with his dog had to be winched out of the Tararua range after he slipped on a greasy boulder.
Former Dominion newspaper chief photographer Barry Durrant, in his late 70s, said it was ironic that he had to be rescued, after a long career of covering search and rescue operations.
‘‘I had managed to stay out of a helicopter for 70-odd years.’’ The former mountain runner said during his career, he would run in and out of rescue areas for a news photo. He recently got new knees, and one of them was especially painful after he slipped while crossing the Snowy River, above O¯ taki Forks, north of Wellington, on Tuesday.
It would have taken all night to hobble to the road and, after three days in the bush, his wife would have been worried, he said.
So he switched on his personal locator beacon, and Life Flight deployed a rescue team on its Westpac rescue helicopter. They found him and dog Jess about 6pm.
‘‘In 40 minutes the big red bird was above me,’’ said Durrant, who praised the emergency services for pulling them out.
A paramedic was winched down to assess Durrant’s condition before he was transferred to the helicopter. He was later taken to Wellington Hospital with minor injuries.
A speciality dog harness was used to get Jess into the aircraft. The canine avidly watched the city’s landscape below as she was flown back to Life Flight’s rescue base at Wellington Airport. ‘‘She was really good and quiet, and enjoyed the ride home in her VIP seat,’’ Durrant said.
Once at the base, Jess was treated to several pre-cooked sausages and a refreshing bowl of water.