A 24-hour corporate adventure race turned into a real life drama at Turangi on Saturday, when members of one of the competing teams became disoriented and got lost.
Search and rescue personnel from throughout the central North Island were called in to find the two men and awoman who became lost in the area around the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre early on Saturday afternoon.
The trio, all from Upper Hutt, got into trouble during the last leg of the race - an 8km run - when they became disoriented and went off-trail.
Centre staff alerted police to the team's plight and a full search and rescue operation involving 30 people was launched.
The runners were found after dark about 4km from the centre's base by a searcher using night vision goggles on board the Lion Foundation rescue helicopter.
Police said the team was not prepared for an overnight stay but made the most of their experience and were in high spirits when they were found.
It was a busy weekend for the rescue helicopter which attended two fatal road accidents in the central North Island on Saturday before being called in to help a man who had a heart attack while walking the Tongariro Crossing.
An advanced paramedic was flown in and spent some time trying to revive the man, but was unable to save him.
