Aussie hunter found after falling down a bluff

The Te Urewera National Park, where an Australian hunter was lucky to avoid falling over a 20m cliff and onto rocks. Photo / Alan Gibson

An Australian hunter missing in the Urewera National Park, north west of Gisborne, has been found after his friends fired distress shots to let him know they were hunting for him.

The 26-year-old man, from Victoria, had bruises, grazes and possibly a broken rib after falling down a bank.

Police said he and two other hunters had been in the Hanamahihi Hut, in the Whakatane River, after flying into the area last Thursday. They were due to be picked up yesterday.

Police said the hurt hunter had gone for a hunt for the day on Monday but failed to return at night. The weather deteriorated with torrential rain.

His companions, 49 and 51, began searching for him yesterday and fired several shots to attract his attention and indicate they were looking for him.

Detective Sergeant John Wilson, from the Rotorua police, said when the helicopter returned to the hut to collect the men as planned, one man stayed at the hut and the other came out to alert police.

The injured hunter made his way back to the hut and was flown out later in the day when the weather improved.

He had fallen 50 metres down a bluff before arresting his fall by grabbing a tree at the bottom of the slope about midday.

"This action prevented him falling over an estimated 20 metre cliff onto rocks in a creek bed. This would almost certainly have proven fatal," Mr Wilson said.

It took him the rest of the day and several hours the next morning, to climb back up the bluff and get back to the hut.

"He is fairly confident he has got a broken rib. He has got a beauty of a bruise which takes up most of the left side of his abdomen. He had a big fall.

"This is another case of, in spite of taking all due precautions, doing all the right things and being well prepared, sometimes things can and do go wrong for those going into the outdoors," Mr Wilson said.

The man had returned to Australia.

- NZPA