A hunter missing overnight in the Kaimai Range was insufficiently prepared, police say.
The 27-year-old man had gone into the bush with a group of hunters to retrieve an animal they had shot.
Sergeant Vince Ranger, of police Search and Rescue, said the group last saw him about 8pm on Monday as they were leaving the bush but he got separated and became disoriented before he was able to find his way out. "He thought he might be able to walk out following a stream line, but he was disoriented," Mr Ranger said.
When darkness set in and he was cold and wet, he chose to hunker down in a patch of shrub which was a safe decision, Mr Ranger said. "We certainly press that ... to remain stationary because it contains you in that search area. For us, it's easier to find him and for him it's safer to stay put in the dark."
Teams of police and Land Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers combed the bush overnight and the man was located awake in rough terrain in the Kaimai Range about 5.15am, Mr Ranger said.