Snowy footprints only clue to whereabouts of missing tramper in the Tararua Range
Monday, 3 June 2019
Five more search teams and thermal imaging gear are being thrown into the search on Tuesday for a tramper still missing in the snow-covered Tararua Range.
Rescue teams used a break in the weather on Monday to launch a massive effort to find the missing 49-year-old British national, who has not been heard from since Thursday morning.
As the search moves into its third day, police and volunteers plan to boost resources and bring in thermal imaging equipment to comb the large search area.
'The search area is huge and we don't have a list of his intentions,' police search and rescue incident controller Tony Matheson said.
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'We've had up to half-a-metre of snow, which is very soft and hard to walk through, and it could ice over, so our teams are on high-risk alert.'
Searchers have checked huts where the tramper may have taken refuge from the weekend's bad weather but have found no sign of him.
He said one of the 10 rescue teams had discovered a set of footprints on Monday in the general area that the tramper was thought to be.
'We've got an inkling of a clue and we're using the best possible resources to investigate it. It was fairly close to where he went missing,' Matheson said.
A police dog handler was being sent up on Monday afternoon to investigate the prints and will remain in the park overnight.
Matheson said they were not aware of anyone else who would be in the area.
The tramper was carrying a cellphone but there has been no contact since he sent a text message to his partner on Thursday morning.
'You'd expect he would have made contact so, at this stage, we do have severe concerns for him.'
The tramper's partner and sister were at the Masterton search headquarters at Hood Aerodrome on Monday afternoon but were too upset to talk to media.
'They're desperate for a good outcome, as are we,' Matheson said.
Police were unwilling to release the name and a photo of the tramper until family members in the United Kingdom were notified.
The tramper had been planning to make the northern crossing of the Tararua Range, from near Levin to Mt Holdsworth, near Masterton.
His last known location was Arete Bivvy.
The Department of Conservation website advertises the route as a three to five-day tramp. The track is categorised as an 'expert' route suitable for trampers with a high level of backcountry experience.
The Metservice predicted showers in the area on Tuesday with galeforce winds on the range. On Wednesday, the whole area is likely to affected by a large low pressure system bringing rain and wind.
Matheson said the tramper had some experience in the mountains and was equipped with 'reasonable gear', which included a high-quality sleeping bag and a tent.
He sent the man could have retreated to a sheltered spot in the valley when the recent storm blew through and could well be hunkered down somewhere.
'Something's not right but he could still appear anytime over the next couple of days.'
The tramper entered Tararua Forest Park last Tuesday and probably spent the first night in Te Matawai Hut on the western side.
He was due out at Mt Holdsworth around midday on Saturday.
Police made a decision to send a helicopter up into the range on Sunday afternoon to check huts in the area.
'There were no entries in the logbook,' Matheson said.
Weather conditions were severe in the hills from Thursday through to Sunday and more bad weather is on the way.
Matheson said the man was from the UK and had been living in New Zealand for two years.