Skier makes it off mountain after wrong turn

Coronet Peak, where a Christchurch skier took a wrong turn, and had a tough job getting off the mountain. Photo / NZSki

A Christchurch woman who took a wrong turn on the Coronet Peak skifield late on Saturday had to hike for almost five hours in the dark to reach a farmhouse and safety.

She walked almost 10km over what police described as very challenging terrain.

The 55-year-old woman was emotionally distressed and exhausted but did not require medical attention, Constable Blair Duffy, of Queenstown, told the Otago Daily Times.

"It was dark and that [cold] front was coming through. She was very, very lucky that she was strong enough to keep going."

Her journey included negotiating fences and bluffs and being chased by a herd of Hereford bulls before ending up at the farmhouse at 8.30pm.

The woman had been skiing with a friend and became separated about 3.10pm.

- NZPA