As stated by West Coast Search and Rescue Co-Ordinator and Area Response Manager Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood:
A man missing on the West Coast overnight has been found safe and well.
The man is a visitor from the United Kingdom and set out on a walk about 11am on Tuesday, along the Roberts Point Track in Franz Josef. At some point, he lost the trail and was unable to find his way back.
Thankfully, the man was able to call for assistance about 1am before his phone went flat.
Land Search and Rescue was contacted, who deployed to the area along with Police and Department of Conservation staff. A thermal-equipped helicopter operated by Glacier Country Helicopters brought the teams into the area.
The man was not prepared for a night in the open and was wearing only shorts and a T-shirt, and did not have a personal locator beacon.
Police were able to provide the man with a crash course in survival prior to his phone going flat.
A search team in the helicopter spotted the man about 10am, and much to everybody’s relief, he was safe and suffered no life-threatening injuries. The man was still within the search area, near Annie Peak, but some distance from any track or where he thought he may have been.
Police would like to sincerely thank everyone involved. This incident shows just how important it is to be prepared for a trip into the wilderness.
Personal locator beacons are inexpensive to hire and could save your life. In this case, the individual is incredibly lucky to be able to walk away with only minor injuries, but many other people haven’t been so fortunate.
