KEY POINTS:
An tramper who went missing in March last year probably either injured himself in a fall or had a medical problem, a coroner has found.
Bones found in the bush near Makarora in April have been confirmed as belonging to English tramper Derek Neville Hawkins.
At an inquest in Queenstown yesterday, coroner Alan Macalister said he agreed with police evidence that the 72-year-old Englishman had most likely got lost and either injured himself from a fall or had a medical problem.
The Southland Times reported today Dr Hawkins was last seen in the Siberia Valley hut on March 29, 2007, when he told other trampers before they left that he would be spending the day walking to Crucible Lake.
When he didn't return to the hut a five-day police hunt was launched, but nothing was found in the search.
More than a year later, trampers discovered human remains and clothing in the southern arm of the Siberia Valley.
Items, including a gold watch, had been confirmed by family members as belonging to Dr Hawkins.
- NZPA
