KEY POINTS:
A tramper died when he and his wife were swept away in a snow-swollen river near Arthurs Pass yesterday. Locals had warned walking groups of dangerous and "deceptive" conditions.
But a local searcher told the Herald On Sunday that the group of nine, from the Christchurch-based Over Forties Tramping Club, had not been warned. Two German trampers had been swept away in the same area last week, but had survived.
"You've got to choose your crossing. It comes down to experience and it can be your unlucky day," he said.
"The rivers are quite high - we had 200mm of rain a few days ago," he said. "But the rivers don't get discoloured. They are running crystal clear but they are really pushing. There is a bit of force behind that water. There is a lot of snow coming down the rivers and you can get deceived."
Police were notifying the 77-year-old man's family last night.
The party of nine was crossing the Waimakariri River in Arthurs Pass National Park at 11am yesterday when the man and his wife were swept away by the water, running high with snow melt and recent rain.
Westpac rescue helicopter pilot Simon Duncan said the pair were swept about 500m down the river, until they could be dragged to the bank by their fellow trampers. It is believed the man wore a heavy pack.
The group activated an emergency locator beacon, helping rescuers find them. The wife was in shock, but required no medical treatment.
The surviving members of the group were driven out 10km to Arthur's Pass village, before returning to their homes.
Sergeant Chris Jones, from Selwyn police, said the cause of death had not been confirmed: it could be either medical or drowning.
It appeared the two trampers had lost their footing while trying to cross the river at a place known as Klondyke Corner. The river level was not high but it was fast-flowing, he said.
"It wasn't an impassable area by any stretch of the imagination."
Jones described the Waimakariri as "a typical New Zealand braided river".
The Over Forties Tramping Club, with over 400 members, promises safe, friendly and enjoyable tramping.
Club treasurer Peter Street said this weekend's "base camp" overnighter was supposed to be a fairly easy route, from Klondyke Corner, up the valley for a night at Crow Hut, and back.
Meanwhile, last night, a rescue helicopter was sent to Wye Creek, near Queenstown, to help an injured tramper as darkness approached.
And on the western side of Lake Taupo yesterday, a 22-year-old rock climber was seriously injured after falling 15 metres onto rocks. He was flown to Waikato Hospital.
Two walkers in Tongariro National Park were also rescued by the Taupo-based Lion Foundation Rescue Helicopter. A 28-year-old German man had suffered hip injuries while descending Mt Ngaruhoe, and a 10-year-old boy gashed his leg on falling rocks near the Red Crater on the Tongariro Crossing. They were both flown to Taupo Hospital.
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: Nicola Shepheard, Alice Neville, Alice Hudson
