A 22 year old Australian male was assisted down from a height of 1650m on Mt Taranaki by rescue teams from the Taranaki Alpine Cliff Rescue Team and Police Search and Rescue.
During the day the man had made a solo attempt to climb to the summit but had decided to turn back near the feature called the "lizard". He descended in thick cloud and became lost in a rugged gorge where he also injured one of his legs on rocks.
The man had phoned for help at 4 pm and was located at 9.45 pm, from that time it took 4 1/2 hours to get him off the mountain.
The rescue was hampered by rugged alpine terrain, thick cloud, rain and darkness . The low visibility had also prevented the use of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter.
The man was taken to Taranaki Base Hospital by ambulance for treatment to his leg injuries and mild hypothermia.
ENDS
Wayne Rowland
Senior Constable
New Plymouth Police
Search and Rescue Squad