Missing trampers found in Arthur's Pass National Park

Monday, 19 December 2016

Two trampers who spent the night in Arthur's Pass National Park have been found. 

A search and rescue helicopter found the pair close to Deception River, which is near Otira on the West Coast, on Monday morning.

Canterbury police constable Alastair Wall said he believed the duo had been trapped by the rising water levels and had been forced to camp out for the evening. They were not equipped for an overnight stay.

The 57-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were said to be wet and cold, but fine. They had been flown out to family waiting at Arthur's Pass.

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Police said the pair set off early on Sunday morning and had planned to make radio contact once they reached Goat Pass hut at the halfway point of their daytrip. They had intended to travel up Deception River and over the pass, then down the Mingha River to Klondyke Corner.

When they failed to make contact from the hut, an associate raised the alarm. 

Poor weather prevented a helicopter from searching yesterday afternoon, but improved conditions on Monday allowed the air-rescue team to join the operation. It quickly located the trampers 'in the expected area.'

A 32-year-old Christchurch doctor, Isabel Rivett, died after being swept down Deception River in January this year.