A man is recovering in hospital after being located by Police and LandSAR in Baton Valley, Tasman District, last night.
The man had been without food for a week and is fortunate to have survived.
A search was launched on Monday morning, after a member of the public reported finding an abandoned tent at Ellis River, along with a bicycle and a number of other items.
The search teams, which included a SAR dog, were deployed and conducted a search over a wide area.
The man was located by LandSAR volunteers around three kilometres from the end of Baton Valley Road shortly after 5pm.
A helicopter was unable to be deployed due to low cloud, so the man was assisted out by searchers, before being transported to Nelson Hospital.
“At this stage we believe the man had been lost for ten days, but had not been reported missing,” says Sergeant Jonny Evans, Nelson Bays Search and Rescue.
“He is very lucky to be alive and I’d like to thank the member of the public who initially reported finding the tent and other items, as well as those who got in touch with us when we appealed for information about the tent on social media.”
“This situation shows the importance of getting in touch with Police when you see something that you think doesn’t seem quite right.”
“The information provided by the public enabled us to get a search up and running – I have no doubt we would be dealing with a very different situation if this had not been reported to Police when it was.”
“And I would like to thank all those involved in the search, including our LandSAR volunteers. It was a very long day for them and they can be proud of the work they did to recover this man and bring him to safety.”
Police encourage anyone heading out tramping or hunting to ensure they are equipped with a Personal Locator Beacon.
Beacons are a lifesaving tool which allow rescue teams to respond to your location as soon as possible.
If you are exploring the outdoors and are unable to make it out for any reason, or if you have concerns for someone else, please do not hesitate to activate your beacon.
Remember to register your beacon with Rescue Coordination Centre NZ before you head out: www.beacons.org.nz
