Stranded woman says she will never go tramping again

Nadia Rosli, 19 was hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing when she went ahead of her group of friends and became lost.

A 19-year-old woman who spent a "helpless and hopeless" night stranded on Mt Ngauruhoe wearing a hoodie and yoga pants, says she will never go tramping again.

Nadia Rosli, 19, from Malaysia, was hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on Saturday when she went ahead of her group of friends and became lost.

"I don't know how it happened when I lost them. When I turned back there was no one behind me and I got scared."

She said she was trying to reach the path to the summit when her foot became stuck in the snow.

"I couldn't get my leg out of the snow and then suddenly I just slid down the mountain as I was trying to get it out."

Ms Rosli said she then tried to find a way back to her friends, before eventually deciding to call 111.

Before her location was able to be established her phone battery went flat.

The Waikato University said she then spent a "helpless and hopeless" night 1500m up the mountain while she waited to be rescued.

She was wearing light clothing and had no food or water.

"I was just wearing sports attire and a hoodie and sports shoes.

"I only had one layer of pants on, just yoga pants."

Ms Rosli spent the night among rocks and snow and did not move from her location as Search and Rescue and police used night vision goggles to search Tongariro.

It was not until yesterday morning that they realised she was actually on Ngauruhoe.

"I could see the helicopter in front of me but they couldn't see me, I was waving my flashlight but they couldn't see me properly because it was so dark.

"It was really cold, it was freezing. I thought that I was going to die and might freeze to death.

"I couldn't do anything to keep warm, I just had my hoodie and covered my body with it."

Senior Constable Barry Shepherd was part of the rescue team tasked with finding the woman.

"It could have been deadly," he said. "We were preparing ourselves for the worst."

Mr Shepherd said he was amazed how resilient Ms Rosli was to have survived the night, as the temperature dropped to 1C overnight.

Ms Rosli was airlifted by the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter and taken to Whakapapa Village before continuing to Taupo Hospital.

She was released from hospital yesterday and spent a warm night at home with her parents.

She said she had no plans to go tramping again in the future.

"This is the highest mountain I ever climbed, I thought that I could do it but then I fell down. It was a great disaster."