Sign In / Register
When Leigh builder Peter Wyatt spotted a post from a friend on a local Facebook page asking for help for two walkers who had become lost while walking on Mount Tamahunga last month, he didn’t hesitate.
He grabbed his hiking gear and hi-vis jacket and headed for the start of the track.
The 15.6 km return trail wends its way through bush from high up on Rodney Road to the summit of
Mount Tamahunga and is considered challenging even by experienced trampers, but Wyatt knew it well. With just a couple of hours of daylight left, he also knew recent wet weather would have made the track muddy, slippery and treacherous in the dark.
Armed with one of the lost hiker’s mobile numbers, he was able to call her and ask some questions to help pinpoint where she might be. Wyatt recognised the description and made his way towards where he thought she was.
In the meantime, the lost hikers had contacted Search and Rescue. First on the scene were Mangawhai Community Police Constable Dale Wewege and PC Chris Martin from Warkworth, who happened to be at Pakiri at the time, and a Police helicopter was dispatched.
Wyatt soon spotted the helicopter circling which, in turn, had spotted the two hikers and also Wyatt with his hi-vis gear. Meanwhile, up on Rodney Road, the two Police officers were in touch with both Wyatt and the helicopter, as a search and rescue team, complete with dog, were also on their way.
A tracker during his policing days in his native South Africa, Wewege was in his element as he headed along the track after Wyatt. They soon teamed up and headed off, calling out to the hikers, who eventually heard them and returned their calls.
Although there was some difficulty pinpointing the hikers’ exact position, Wyatt and Wewege eventually found the pair just as it was getting dark. The women were in dense bush beside a stream, and though very cold, were uninjured.
After giving the walkers their jerseys and extra clothing, they then all waited for the police search and rescue team catch them up with much needed energy bars. From there, they were all able to make their way out of the bush and back up on to Rodney Road.
Police said afterwards it seemed the women, one of whom was a local and the other a hiker from Columbia, may have mistaken a trapper’s track for the main trail.
The walkers were commended by police for staying where they were, beside a stream, being level-headed and waiting for help once they realised they were lost, rather than trying to find their own way out.
Wyatt said he was pleased he was able to help and that all had ended well. Wewege agreed, and said he had also enjoyed getting out into the bush and dusting off his tracking skills.
