Desperate search for Stephanie
British backpacker, 32, goes missing during solo hike to remote New Zealand glacier
A DESPERATE search is under way for a British backpacker missing in New Zealand.
The alarm was raised when Stephanie Simpson, 32, failed to turn up to work on Monday after heading into the South Island’s Mt Aspiring National Park for a weekend hike.
Miss Simpson, on holiday from her home in Essex, told friends she intended to hike to the remote Brewster glacier in a part of the park that suffered from floods after recent heavy rains last week.
The bodies of two hikers were pulled from a swollen river in the area on Friday.
New Zealand police said they were optimistic they would find Miss Simpson, who is an ‘experienced and very fit’ walker.
Sergeant Mark Kirkwood, who is in charge of the search and rescue, said overnight temperatures had not been very cold and the rivers were not as high as they had been. ‘She’s strong, she’s fit, she’s capable. She’s worked in the outdoors, she knows what she’s up to,’ a friend said.
‘She’s a really beautiful, kindhearted person. She can make friends in an instant, she’s awesome. She’s just here to tramp and see the country.’
Three rescue teams, joined by members of the public plus a dog team and a helicopter, failed to find Miss Simpson yesterday, with the search to resume today. Her parents are flying to New Zealand to help. Friends told the New Zealand Herald newspaper they had not heard from Miss Simpson since Friday.
‘Until they get some news, [the family] are in the dark. We’re just really hoping we may hear something from the foot searches,’ a spokesman for the friends said.
Miss Simpson has been working as a landscaper in Wanaka.
Her employer, Douglas Peddle, said she had been in Wanaka for the past three months on a working holiday and was a keen hiker who had lots of hiking equipment. ‘She’s very fit and healthy, she came over from the UK and was keen to explore everything this region has to offer,’ he said.
‘She’s been doing a few tramps in the area and went away last weekend,’ he said.
‘It’s hard not to think the worst but her family are trying to remain positive.
‘Hopefully, she just needs a helping hand to get out.’
Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley said the main track up to an overnight hut at the Brewster glacier was more of a test of fitness than navigation, but conditions got trickier if walkers ventured beyond the hut.
That could make the search for Miss Simpson a challenge, he added.
‘An individual could have chosen any number of little side tracks,’ Mr Daisley said.
‘If you follow one out to the Brewster glacier, there are a lot of steep bluffs and it’s a very rocky area so there’s a lot of area to search, particularly if people have slipped.’