Helicopter and torch save five relieved climbers

Five Americans were rescued in fading light from Mt Ngauruhoe after getting stuck. Rob Kidd reports.

Five American students plucked from Mt Ngauruhoe at the weekend had dinner last night with the men who saved their lives.

The university students, aged between 20 and 21 andwho are studying at Auckland University for two semesters, were rescued from Mt Ngauruhoe Saturday night after getting stuck in quickly deteriorating weather.

Youthtown Rescue Helicopter pilot Nat Every said with the deteriorating weather and remoteness of their location on the southeast side of the mountain, it was highly likely there would have been fatalities had they not been rescued in the failing light.

And it if wasn’t for a torch the group might not have been easily found.

Mr Every said they were flying around the mountain searching for the group when they saw the light beam.

He was grateful after an awful start to the day – attending a horrific crash at Turangi that killed three American students.

‘‘You go from the most tragic job you can have in the morning to one of the most amazing results you can have in the evening.’’

But the group were just as happy to see the chopper, with one of the students saying it could have easily been their families back home in the United States could easily have been in mourning today. On Saturday morning the group had hiked over Mt Tongariro to the Emerald Lakes, then doubled back to Mt Ngauruhoe.

They climbed the northern side of the mountain then began their decent on the south-eastern side with the intention of camping overnight near Upper Tama Lake, but they called Police just before 5pm when they got stuck.

‘‘Once we started slipping on the ice we’d come too far to climb back up,’’ rescued climber Ivan Camponogara told 3News.

The rescue chopper found the five huddled together, clinging to the side of the mountain just below the summit and they were picked up in two separate hover-loads and flown to lower ground.

By then it was dark and the crew used night vision goggles to complete the mission.

‘‘We were very relieved when the chopper arrived, but you can’t breathe easy till they’ve seen you.’’

The five were all uninjured, though one who had fallen earlier had to huddle in his sleeping bag to prevent hypothermia as his clothing had been saturated by the snow and ice.

Last night the group were invited to Taupo search and rescue officer Constable Barry Shepherd’s place for a warming meal along with Mr Every.

It’s unknown whether the group were known to the several US students who were in a car accident in Turangi on Saturday morning. Three were killed.

They too had travelled down from Auckland to walk the Tongariro crossing.