Tramper missing in Fiordland found after aerial search hampered by bad weather

An aerial search for a missing tramper in Fiordland National Park which was hampered by bad weather has ended successfully after the person was found in a backcountry lodge.

Just before 8pm on Monday, a party of six trampers on the Hollyford Track activated their distress beacon. Maritime NZ’s Rescue Co-ordination Centre NZ (RCCNZ) were able to communicate with them via satellite phone and were told one of the six were missing.

A spokesperson said a helicopter was sent from Queenstown that evening, however, low cloud and darkness prevented it from reaching the scene.

Pyke Lodge on the Hollyford Track in Fiordland, South Island. Photo / Supplied, Ngāi Tahu Tourism

This morning a Southern Lakes Helicopter from Te Anau was sent to continue the search, alongside police who activated a Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) team in case the weather stopped the aerial search again.

“On request from RCCNZ, Southern Lakes Helicopters also spoke to the lodge operator at Martins Bay, advising them of the missing person,” said a Maritime NZ spokesperson.

At the same the lodge operator took a jet boat to Pyke Lodge where they found the missing person, who was uninjured.

The helicopter was directed to Pyke Lodge, from where they flew the missing person to Te Anau.

The other five members of the party are walking out as they had planned.

Overall, the search involved the RCCNZ, police, two helicopters, a LandSAR team, and a local jet boat.

Maritime NZ wants to remind people how important it is to carry a distress beacon with a correctly registered emergency contact.

“This gave RCCNZ a person they could speak with and who could provide necessary details for the rescue operation,” they said.

Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based multimedia journalist and breaking news reporter.