A man was located cold and dehydrated after becoming lost in the Lake Hauroko area over the weekend.
At around 8pm on Saturday, the Rescue Coordination Centre NZ was notified of a personal locator beacon activation in the area of the Teal Bay Hut Track.
Southern Lakes Helicopters and a team of six LandSAR volunteers from Southland and Fiordland were flown into difficult terrain to begin searching for the man.
At around 3am, a 61-year-old man was located lost, cold and dehydrated but otherwise uninjured.
The man was unable to be winched due to the rough terrain and dense vegetation.
Staff conducted an on-scene assessment and focused on warming the man up before assisting him to Teal Bay Hut.
Police on-scene coordinator Sergeant Alun Griffiths praised the efforts of the helicopter crew and both LandSAR field and incident management teams that worked through the night to locate and provide assistance to the man.
“Due to the beacon being damaged a large degree of talent and a small amount of good luck saw the man successfully located.”
Police want to remind people to carry a Personal Locator Beacon when exploring the outdoors.
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 feel that you are in danger and are unable to contact emergency services any other way, please activate your beacon.
Be prepared to manage your own survival until assistance can reach you.
Remember to register your beacon with Rescue Coordination Centre NZ before you head out: www.beacons.org.nz
For more information on beacons and how to stay safe see https://www.police.govt.nz/faq/im-going-trampinghuntingboating-do-you-recommend-i-take-personal-locator-beacon
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
