A Grand Rescue: Operation Assists Pair Back To Safety
A grandmother and granddaughter who set out for a bush
walk on Sunday
afternoon are no doubt thanking their
lucky stars after a late night rescue.
The pair had
set out at about 4.30pm on Sunday with their four dogs for
an
afternoon walk at the base of the
Mangamukas.
But after nearly three hours they quickly
realised they had lost their way
and darkness was
looming.
Constable Sam Davidson, from Whangārei
Police Search and Rescue, says Police
received a call for
help at about 7.40pm and it wasn’t long before a
team
was assembled and deployed.
“The information
we received indicated that both women were lightly
dressed
and had no food or water.
“The
granddaughter also had a mobile phone on her but it only had
10 per
cent battery and no data.
“A team of seven
Far North Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) members
left
Kerikeri at about 8.30pm and arrived at their last
known location near
Abraham Road at about
9.20pm.”
Constable Davidson says the team were able
to make voice contact after an
hour and by 11.35pm the
pair were being walked out safe and well.
“It was a really good response and result.
“They had a couple
of minor cuts and bruises but it was a fantastic
team
effort.”
Constable Davidson says it was also
a timely reminder for people to prepare
and be ready for
an unexpected situation and to have the ability to
navigate
if necessary, even if it’s just data on your
phone.
“I also want to reiterate how important it is
during these types of
situations that we back our LandSAR
team.
“They are well-trained, efficient and experts
in their field and we
couldn’t do what we do without
them.”