Group trapped on Tararua Ranges rescued

The Tararua ranges. Photo / Virginia McMillan, WikiCommons

Two trampers and their rescuers, stranded in the Tararua Ranges, have been successfully evacuated.

The pair had to be rescued after running into bad weather while tramping in the ranges Saturday night.

Search and Rescue teams reached them in the early hours of yesterday morning, but couldn't airlift them out because of bad weather.

Instead they have all spent the past 24 hours sheltering in the nearby Dundas Hut.

A police spokesperson says a break in the weather allowed a helicopter to reach the group just after first light this morning.

The two trampers were well-prepared when they ran into rough weather conditions and activated their personal locator beacon while looking for shelter.

When ground search and rescue teams reached the men, they said the trampers were cold and exhausted.

The rescuers gave the men food and dry clothing. They were assessed medically, and appeared to be in good condition.

Police search and rescue Sergeant Fiona Read said despite the weather problems, this rescue had gone better than it might have, because the trampers were well-prepared.

"In this case, a personal locator beacon was a good investment.

"Beacons can be a lifesaving tool as it means emergency services will be aware that something has happened much faster if you do get injured or lost, which they did in this case.

"These beacons don't have to be purchased, they can be hired out on a day-by-day basis."