KEY POINTS:
A helicopter made 10 trips yesterday to rescue school trampers trapped by rising waters in Mt Aspiring National Park.
Rivers rose rapidly after heavy overnight rain and left the party of 35 Otago Boys High School trampers stranded.
Despite a heavy rain warning, which predicted falls of between
100mm and 120mm for the Westland and Fiordland ranges, the group went ahead with a planned tramping and camping expedition.
It took Mt Aspiring Helicopters pilot Charlie Ewing 10 trips to evacuate the trampers after they radioed the Wanaka Search and Rescue for assistance about 11am.
Wanaka Search and Rescue chairman Allan Gillespie said the group of year 10 pupils aged 14 and 15 had tramped up the valley in heavy rain on Tuesday.
"They had a disturbed night camped just below Junction Flat and were forced to move camp after the river came up," Mr Gillespie said.
The four-hour walk up the valley had taken the group nine hours in the heavy rain. They had to make several river crossings.
"They have obviously misjudged the forecast," Mr Gillespie said.
Wanaka search co-ordinator Sergeant Aaron Nicholson said the decision to continue with the trek was made jointly by the four adults supervising the group.
"They knew where they were going and were prepared, so they just plodded on with the trip.
"They did the right thing and radioed for assistance once the river came up and made it too dangerous for them to cross and walk out," Mr Nicholson said.
The "very wet and tired" trampers were airlifted from near Aspiring Flat down to the old Mt Aspiring Station homestead during the afternoon, Mr Gillespie said.
The trampers planned to walk the remaining 1.5 hours to the Otago Boys High School lodge, where they were staying until Friday, he said.
Mr Nicholson said the group had camped out on flat ground not far from the Rock of Ages bivouac.
They had trouble cooking but had managed to get a fire going to try to keep warm.
The weather at Mt Aspiring National Park is often unpredictable and rain and snow can cause river levels to rise rapidly.
Otago Boys High School deputy rector John Middlemiss said the school was contacted by police to say the trampers were stranded but were safe and well.
"There's no cause for alarm. They are safe and well."
He had not yet spoken to any of the group but had spoken to police involved and believed staff had done all the right things.
"It's one of those calls ... in hindsight who knows?"
The 28 year 10 boys and three year 13 pupils accompanied by staff were on an eight-day outdoor education course at the school's Mt Aspiring Lodge.
Part of that was an "overnight experience" which the boys were on yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon the school contacted parents and partners of staff to inform them of the situation.
A parent, who did not wish to be identified, said the school had done everything it could to reassure parents that the pupils were safe, especially given earlier media reports that indicated the situation was more serious.
"As a parent I'm thankful to the school, given the situation up at the camp, that they let parents know."
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
