Man found alive after two nights in the Kaimanawas

The man being winched to safety by the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter

[STARTS]

Media Release: Man found alive after two nights in the Kaimanawas

The Taupo Based Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to assist Taupo Police with a Search and Rescue operation over the weekend.

A hunter found himself lost on Friday after a solo hike.

The alarm was raised via mobile phone on Saturday morning by the missing mans companion after he failed to return as expected the previous evening. The helicopter was tasked by Taupo Police to assist transporting LandSAR personnel into the remote area and to assist in the search.

The search was based around the North Arm area of the Kaimanawa ranges where the party were camped, but extended to the Oamaru Hut, the Boyd, Mangamingi and Cascade Huts, and the terrain in between.

The missing man was located by a SAR Dog Team around midday Sunday and the exhausted, but otherwise uninjured man, was recovered from a small clearing in the forest with the use of a long line suspended beneath the helicopter, and transported to Poronui where he was assessed by paramedics.

The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was used due to the remote location and the time critical process of providing assistance to a missing person and the forecast deteriorating weather. The helicopter was also able to quickly take SAR sniffer dogs to critical locations of importance, before these areas were compromised.

The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter is operated by Philips Search and Rescue Trust, a charitable organisation, operating rescue helicopters throughout the Central North Island. Philips Search and Rescue Trust relies on support from principal sponsors and community donations. Special thanks to Taupo's principal sponsor, Greenlea. This crucial financial support ensures our rescue helicopters can continue to bring life-saving equipment, rescue personnel and trauma-trained medics directly to the patient. For further information about PSRT visit our website http://rescue.org.nz.

[ENDS]

© Scoop Media