Couple reunite with their rescuers

Gillian Archer (left), Chao Qin, Murray Archer, Mi Li and Ling Wu. Photo / Tania Whyte

Whangarei couple Gillian and Murray Archer spent months trying to track down a trio who helped rescue them when they became stuck on a steep, muddy track in the Coromandel.

Now, for the first time since May, the One Tree Point couple have been reunited with the three good samaritans - Chao Qin, his wife Mi Li and their friend Ling Wu - who saved their lives.

While holidaying in the Coromandel in May, Mr and Mrs Archer had embarked on a 10km hike in the Kauaeranga Valley which was recommended to them by a Department of Conservation worker. About three quarters of the way down the couple knew they were in trouble.

"We weren't expecting [the track] to be easy but we weren't expecting it to be degraded to the extent that it was. Murray was getting very tired because it was very hard. You had to keep dropping down to your feet so I can crouch but Murray had to keep turning around and going down backwards," Mrs Archer said.

The couple were sitting on the side of the track when the trio, who were from Auckland, found them. Mr Qin said he knew he had to help.

"They went really, really slowly and I can see that Murray, his leg was exhausted. I thought we needed to all go together. I just thought maybe they need help and maybe we can do something," he said.

Mr Archer said he had told the trio to go ahead as he was concerned he would slow them down but he and Mrs Archer knew he would not have survived a night on the track.

"The worst part of it was that when we thought we had finished and got down the bottom we found the bridge to get across the river was closed and there was no way we could have gone back. But my friend here (Chao), he went across the bridge and one by one we went across," Mr Archer said.

They all made it back by about 7pm and went their separate ways. But Mrs Archer regretted not taking their contact details. So, she spent three months going through every avenue they could think of - all they had to go on was a car registration and a rough idea of their names.

"I put it in the Herald and then the Advocate picked it up and did the story and then everyone is looking on Facebook. All I wanted to do was track down these people and say thank you."

Eventually she got in touch with the New Zealand Transport Agency who sent a letter to the trio. In July the Archers received an email from the group and they have been keeping in touch. On Sunday, they met again for the very first time when the group travelled to Northland to stay a night at the Archers' home.

"It was magic. We have a thing in China, we call it fate," said Mr Qin.