Father and son praised after rescue in Te Urewera following sprained ankle

Three police officers, 25 search and rescue members and a helicopter searched for John and Finlay. Photo / Sean Andrews

A father and son are being praised for doing all the right things after they couldn't get out of the bush in Te Urewera for days due to injury.

John and his 16-year-old son Finlay camped for three days on a track while three police, 25 search and rescue volunteers and a helicopter combed the area.

The pair left White's Clearing on December 11 and were due out at Lake Waikaremoana on December 17. They were found on December 19.

John, 57, wanted to highlight the importance of taking a personal locator beacon and GPS tramping with you. He didn't know they existed before his accident but now plans to take one in the future.

It was when the pair went off the track to get water that John badly sprained his ankle. He slipped on loose branches.

"I stood up, then 10 minutes later I did the same thing again," John told the Herald.

"It'd been perfect up until then, it was just a freak accident out of nowhere."

John and Finlay waited for three days in Te Urewera before getting rescued. Photo / Danielle Kay Edwards

The Hawke's Bay man knew he couldn't make the remaining 23km of rugged tramping so he splinted his joint with gaffer tape and sticks and walked back up the ridge to set their tent up on the track.

John had extensive tramping experience and has volunteered for search and rescue in the past. He knew to stay on the track. He said sending Finlay for help would have created two dangerous situations.

"It was just a matter of setting up there and sitting tight.

"I've been tramping for years and I've never had this happen before, it's a good reminder it can happen to anybody.

"The same thing could have happened on the main street of Rotorua. The only difference is the distance really."

The pair knew the route well, had a compass, map, tent, sleeping bags and plenty of food. When they were rescued they still had plenty of porridge and muesli bars to munch through.

John said he remained calm so as not to scare his son who busied himself with sudoku and crosswords on a sheet of newspaper.

Finlay agreed that it was a pretty exceptional experience.

"I thought it's not looking too good. I knew dad wouldn't be able to walk to the end of the track so we'd have to look at rescue. At that point it was a bit disheartening but I thought we'll probably be okay.

"I was trying to keep my mind occupied [with the newspaper]. I was keeping myself busy so I didn't think about the bad stuff."

Meanwhile Richard and Maryanne White, who run Ahurei Adventures and had dropped the pair off, were getting worried.

One of their employees was waiting for John and Finlay at the end of the track on Sunday at 5pm. When they didn't turn up he rang the Whites who came out and camped at the end of the track that night. In the morning they raised the alarm and the search and rescue operation commenced.

The pair were found midday on Tuesday by a policeman from Gisborne and winched out of the bush into a helicopter and assessed by a paramedic in Waikaremoana.

"They just about walked right on top of the tent," John told the Herald.

"It's certainly a great relief when they turned up. We had complete confidence they would find us and they did an excellent job."

After a cup of tea, shower and butter chicken dinner the father and son felt much better.

Search and rescue co-ordinator for Wairoa district Tony Mault said the pair did everything right except for carrying a personal locator beacon.

"If he'd kept on walking or he'd got lost rather than injured we were looking at an area of 100 square km to search of very rough terrain.

"If you're looking at doing multi-day walks in backcountry track be prepared and have a personal locator beacon with you. See it as cheap insurance. If the PBL goes off we can have a helicopter above you within an hour."

And the experience did not put a dampener on John's love of tramping. He plans to finish the route next year with his family.

"I came last year and did half the trip. This time we did three-quarters. Hopefully next time we come with my wife and daughter and finish it.

"It's just a feeling you have go to here [Lake Waikaremoana] and feel it. It's a special place. It's the bush, it's the smell."