Trampers rescued after losing path in snow

Snow on the Tararua Ranges. File picture / Wairarapa Times-Age

Three trampers had to be airlifted from the Tararua Ranges after waist-deep snow concealed their path.

Senior sergeant Murray Johnston, of Masterton, said the Lower Hutt trampers - two men and a woman, all aged 18 - were making their way from Cattle Ridge Hutt to Cow Creek Hutt.

Mr Johnston said they lost touch with the track, which was buried under a metre of snow on the second day of a three-day tramp.

"Basically it's not only a marginally maintained track, but was also under a metre of snow. They made it halfway through to Cow Creek, got off the track and couldn't get back on it," he said.

At 4.20pm on Monday they phoned one of the tramper's mothers.

Mr Johnston spoke to them himself at 4.30pm and got a description of where they were.

"I took a punt and gave them directions. I thought I might be able to get them back on track, but it didn't work."

As they were carrying no shelter with them, it was deemed too dangerous to leave them out overnight, so Amalgamated Helicopters was called in.

Mr Johnston said they seemed to have all the right gear, apart from a tent, and had some useful bush knowledge.

He said they could have crawled into sleeping bags and probably survived the night, but with the difference between life and death being a $1200 helicopter flight, staying out was not an option.

"In my opinion the only mistake they made was they left themselves in a position where they couldn't get back or keep on going. What they needed to do was go back when they realised the going was so slow.

"They should've made that decision at about lunchtime.

"Normally that part of the tramp is a short, easy day, but they failed to take into account the difficulty that that depth of snow makes. They left at 8am for a tramp that in summer conditions would take 2 hours."

He said it was lucky the helicopter had gone up when it had with the light fading fast and nasty weather approaching.

Mr Johnston said tramping in the Tararua Ranges can be "bloody good fun" at this time of year, provided trampers do all their homework before heading into the hills.

- WAIRARAPA TIMES-AGE