Tramper safe and well
Police Search and Rescue and Far North LandSAR volunteers from Kerikeri rescued a tramper from the Raetea Forest last week.
Police received a call from the 24-year-old German woman, who had become lost in the forest while walking south on the Te Araroa Trail, on Wednesday night. Poor reception cut the call short.
SAR was deployed at around 6am on Thursday, and found the woman some six hours later. She had fallen down a 20m waterfall, and was about a mile off the trail.
She walked out with her rescuers, who carried her pack, in the Makene Rd area, north of Mangamuka Bridge, with no more serious injuries than bumps, bruises, scrapes and one eye swollen shut. She was assessed by a St John medic after her four-hour walk out of the bush, but did not require hospital treatment, and was given a ride to Kerikeri.
Sergeant Jim Adamson, of the Northland police Search and Rescue, who described the woman as remarkably tough and stoic, said the terrain in Raetea Forest was very challenging.
“There’s a lot of tree falls and mud, and in places you wouldn’t even know it was a track,” he said
Far North LandSAR president Ian Ruddell said the woman, who had got lost after missing a turnoff, was “extremely lucky” to be alive, and to have had enough cellphone coverage to make the 111 call.
His advice to lost trampers was stop and think.
“She was walking at 9pm, with a full pack, and she’s gone over a waterfall . . . If you are lost, stop, think, make a cup of tea, and come up with a plan. If you have phone coverage at that point, call 111 and don’t make your situation worse by walking in the dark,” he said.
Sergeant Adamson had four key pieces of advice for anyone going hiking or tramping — stay as a group, keep an eye on the weather, be willing to turn back, and wear appropriate clothing.
“It’s crucial to be prepared when going into the bush. Walkers should take a map or GPS, and make sure to go with a companion,” he added.
"Walkers should take a map or GPS, and make sure to go with a companion."
Sergeant Jim Adamson Northland police Search and Rescue