Hunter happy to be reunited

She got married 28 years ago today but Christine Thirling feels as giddy as a new bride.
The Ruakaka woman received a much richer gift than flowers to mark today's marriage milestone - her husband Andreas emerged scratched and grubby from the bush on Monday night after four shivery, sleepless nights lost in the Kaimanawa Ranges.
He says picturing his wife's face got him through.
"He said he survived because of me. He always had me in his mind," Christine said.
"We are married now for 28 years so it would have been terrible if I had lost him."
On a deer-hunting expedition with two friends, a wrong turn on a solo mission last Thursday pitched 50-year-old Andreas into dense bush, and could easily have ended in tragedy. One of his mates walked out to raise the alarm on Friday morning when he didn't return.
Volunteers from all over the central North Island joined the search, using helicopters, dogs and kayaks. Numbers swelled on Sunday to more than 40.
Andreas' signals went unnoticed. He let off a few gunshots on Friday morning but it was before he had been reported missing. He also lit a fire but Police Search and Rescue boss Senior Constable Barry Shepherd said it was "unfortunate" searchers didn't see the smoke, and bad weather made their job more difficult.
The good-news phone call that Andreas had walked out of the bush came about 7pm on Monday night, and Christine arrived in Taupo early yesterday to reunion hugs and wet cheeks - "the tears came automatically, he looked so scratched".
"When you go through the bush for days you don't look very nice, and he was dehydrated. But otherwise he's in good spirits. He just needs a good rest," she said.
After surviving on a muesli bar and rainwater for five days, Andreas' stomach struggled at first. The passerby who picked up the deer hunter gave him a banana; he only managed half.
Next came thin chicken soup and a check-up at Taupo Hospital, before reuniting with Christine and hunting buddy Wayne Smith.
She said Andreas was still cold and tired yesterday, and happy to be alive.
"He sees himself not as a hero. He just wants to say thank you to all the people who have been looking for him and praying for him."
The Thirling family emigrated from Germany 12 years ago.
Andreas, a computer consultant, had been a hunter for five years but had not been in the area before. His hunting companions had planned the trip for some time and were well equipped, said Mr Shepherd.
Comparing the search area with Andreas' path, "We were right on the money," he said.
If the hunter hadn't turned up, yesterday's search effort would not have been scaled back, he said.
Folk who were lost should stop, light a fire and keep that fire going 24/7.
"We can smell smoke, we can see smoke, and it's a different colour from clouds."
The last incident involving someone lost for so many days in the Kaimanawas was at Labour Weekend in 1995, said Mr Shepherd. That man also walked out of the bush.
Meanwhile, Sunday is Andreas' daughter Karina's 22nd birthday, but for now it's a big party with friends to celebrate the couple's wedding anniversary and Andreas' brush with the bush.