Kiwi woman, 84, 'terribly embarrassed' after going missing in Aussie bush

Patricia Byrne - a teacher aide at Whangamata Area School - was missing for three days in Western Australia bush. Photo / File

The daughter of an 84-year-old Whangamata woman who survived while lost in remote Australian bush by drinking from puddles says her mother is embarrassed and will be beating herself up about going missing.

Patricia Byrne - a teacher aide at Whangamata Area School - was missing for three days after sitting to take a rest while on a bush walk in the Stirling Ranges National Park with her family.

The great-grandmother had not been seen since 11.30am on Thursday and was found walking on the side of a road on Sunday about 4km from where she was last seen.

Her daughter Caroline Sherborne flew to Australia as more than 200 people searched for her mother with the help of a plane, a helicopter and infrared searching technology, drones, horses and tracker dogs.

Caroline Sherborne, Patricia Byrne's daughter, said her mother was very fit and healthy, but didn't eat for the three days she was missing. Photo / File

Perth Now reported that Byrne was in a remarkable condition when she stumbled out of the bush and was found by two police officers.

"To be honest I thought I was coming to plan a funeral," her daughter Caroline told NZME.

"As soon as the plane came in to land I felt sick, but my son turned on his phone and said 'I've got a message - she's alive!'. So there was great jubilation among the passengers sitting around us."

The police officers that found her said she appeared so healthy that for a second they didn't believe she was the woman they were looking for.

Patricia, known as Trish, Byrne was in Albany Hospital and being visited by Sherborne and her brother John Byrne and their families.

Sherborne said her mother was very fit and healthy and not on any medications. She had not eaten while she was lost in the bush.

"She's just amazing, I can't wait to hear her story of how she survived."

"It's amazing how these small communities rally together in times like this. It was a mammoth effort, the community here absolutely rallied around my brother and his wife Margot and their family, they have been fantastic."

However Sherborne says her mother is not likely to want to talk too much about her courageous survival effort.

"She is terribly embarrassed and she will be beating herself up about it."

Sherborne says the people of Whangamata including Byrne's neighbours have been very supportive and she was grateful to the incredible efforts of search and rescuers, including the Salvation Army who came in to feed searchers.