Scouts trapped by rising rivers

A Scout tramping group of five is hunkering down at the Broken River Hut in the Craigieburn Range, west of Christchurch, after being trapped by swiftly rising streams.

Heavy rain in the Arthur's Pass and Craigieburn area on Saturday and yesterday forced a number of tramping parties to seek shelter and wait for rivers to fall.

Sergeant Tony Tully, Christchurch police Search and Rescue co-ordinator, told NZPA the Christchurch scouting party of one female supervisor and four scouts was due out yesterday. They had done everything right by hunkering down in the hut rather than trying to cross swollen streams.

Police had no immediate fears for their safety, he said, but they "might be feeling a little hungry". The scouts had taken a radio with them on a mission for their Duke of Edinburgh awards and had been in contact with police through the Christchurch-based Mountain Radio Service.

Mr Tully said a number of tramping parties had reported being trapped by rising waters, but all were accounted for. Several were still making their way out after waters had subsided.

He expected the Craigieburn River would have dropped enough to allow the scouts to cross the river tomorrow and tramp about 2-1/2 hours to their car at Avoca Station.

A Department of Conservation spokesman at Arthur's Pass told NZPA weather conditions at the weekend had been atrocious with 180mm of rain recorded in 24 hours from Saturday and 70mm falling in the Craigieburn River catchment.

Mountain Radio Service spokesman Paul White told NZPA the scouts had reported huge boulders rolling down the river outside the door of the hut.

- NZPA