“She had been walking around for several hours before raising the alarm.
“The irony is, she owns a Distress Beacon (Personal Locator Beacon) and didn’t think she would need it because she knew the area, but as it turns out - she did need it.”
Police worked with a Southern Lakes Helicopters crew and Land Search and Rescue volunteers to find her.
“As weather conditions were marginal, police had SAR volunteers onboard for a foot approach if needed,” said helicopter crewperson Richie Hunter.
“The helicopter got to within 500 metres of the tramper but couldn’t climb any higher due to poor visibility, as she was 1440 metres up the saddle.
“Based on local knowledge, police knew there was a high drop-off, and she could have fallen.”
Hunter said the woman was told not to descend to the chopper.
“We did attempt to get her with the chopper from multiple directions, but it was too cloudy and wasn’t safe,” he explained.
“We dropped the SAR team on the ground at the Borland Saddle and they walked two hours in to find her at 11.30pm, so she was lucky.”
Hunter recommended that people in the outdoors carry a distress beacon, such as a PLB to call for help in an emergency.
“The PLBs are more powerful, accurate and provide a rapid response by emergency services,” he said.
“The PLB’s also have an important homing function for rescue aircraft to locate and pinpoint the position once the aircraft is on scene, even if the party are under a tree canopy.
“We have found, with other devices, the information is delayed and often difficult to locate them without the homing function in rugged country.”
Experienced LandSAR volunteer Mark Sweeney said his team was able to plot the woman’s exact location and they told her to stay put as she was “several kilometres” from the nearest track.
When they found her she was ”fine, in good spirits and not injured”.
“She had the right clothes and food and was well equipped for a day tramp, but not prepared for sleeping out overnight,” said Sweeney.
“She was annoyed she had forgotten her Distress Beacon and did not take a GPS, although you can’t just reply on GPS either – these can fail due to software problems, low batteries or even wet weather.
Henderson said the woman was “very lucky” that she got reception for her mobile phone and was able to call 111 after becoming lost.
“It was just pure luck that she had good mobile phone reception,” he said.
“Remember though, you can never rely on good luck when you are out in the great outdoors.”
The Land Safety Code key steps for enjoying the outdoors, safely:
- Choose the right trip for you: It pays to learn about the route and make sure you have the skills for it.
- Understand the weather: It can change fast.
- Check the forecast and change your plans if needed.
- Pack warm clothes and extra food: Prepare for bad weather and an unexpected extra night out.
- Share your plans: Telling a trusted person your trip details.
- Taking a distress beacon can save your life.
- Take care of yourself and each other: Eat, drink, rest, and stick with your group and make decisions together.
Beacons are small lightweight devices that can summon help to your location in a life-threatening situation.
You can rent or buy a distress beacon and take it with you. You can register your distress beacon at Beacons which is fast, easy, and free to register.
For more helpful information on staying safe in the outdoors you can visit the Mountain Safety Council resources.
