Rescuers trek in dark to reach hurt, lost woman
A missing, injured woman has been rescued after surviving multiple falls and a night on Mt Ruapehu.
Rescuers trekked up the mountain for five hours in the dark before finding the woman with a bloodied face, perched on the edge of a waterfall.
Ruapehu police constable Aaron Owen said they were alerted about the missing tourist at 6pm on Thursday.
She had been in touch with a friend as she attempted to walk to the summit of Mt Ruapehu. But, after several hours of not hearing from the woman, whose last text suggested she had no idea where she was, the friend decided to call 111.
“While talking with police, the friend received a call from her, advising that she was lost and had fallen and had suffered a serious head injury,” Owen said.
Details of her whereabouts were sparse with an unknown start point.
Rescuers including a Greenlea Rescue Helicopter, paramedic and volunteers from Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation began searching likely areas. With daylight fading and a huge area to cover, a second chopper soon joined the search.
“Just as poor weather conditions on the upper mountain hampered the helicopter search, the missing woman made a 111 call and was able to provide a GPS reading of where she was through her cellphone,” said Owen.
The GPS location showed her near the Whangaehu Stream, on the opposite side of the mountain from where she was trying to go. But after strong winds prevented attempts to reach her by helicopter, alpine rescue volunteers were left with no option but to start a five-hour trek in the dark. They found the woman about 2.30am asleep in her sleeping bag on the edge of a large waterfall on the eastern side of the mountain.
They helped her to a nearby hut and gave her first aid for her multiple serious injuries before bunking down for the night. The helicopter reached the woman yesterday morning and transported her to Rotorua Hospital.