KEY POINTS:
A woman missing on the West Coast survived in the bush for 11 days before being spotted by a pair of tourists.
Jessica Roberts' father Rian today described her survival as "amazing" and said his 28-year-old daughter was recovering and "in very good spirits, she's amazing".
Ms Roberts had been missing from Cromwell since January 3 and was last seen at the Fox Glacier petrol station trying to buy cigarettes. She was turned away because she had lost her Eftpos card and had no money.
She was earlier seen driving erratically near Franz Josef Glacier and there were concerns for her because of her mental health history and she had reduced her medicine intake.
After 11 days of searching by police, including aerial searches and efforts by search and rescue staff and Ms Roberts' family, her car was found about 6pm yesterday by a couple of tourists who had gone for a walk from Haast, said Constable Tony LeSueur of Hokitika police.
When they returned to their accommodation they saw the missing persons notice and notified police.
Her car had become stuck at the end of a track which leads from State Highway 6 near Haast township to an abandoned quarry near the Haast River. The car was about 600m from the highway.
Mr Roberts said: "She's managed to access a source of water in very harsh conditions and survive in those conditions.
"She's been there since the third. The car got stuck that Saturday night that sightings stopped.
"She went down a side track and got her vehicle stuck. Apparently the first two days she was with her car and then she wandered away from the car, couldn't find the car and spent the rest of the time in the bush."
Mr Roberts said his daughter had lost a lot of weight.
"She said she spent the last three days just trying to stay alive, but she figured she had another couple of days to go," he said.
"She's got a lot of praying support and one's got to wonder if someone was sitting right there in spirit with her the whole time."
The family was "extremely grateful" to everyone who had helped in the search.
"Everyone did their bit ... it was as a result of posters that she was seen, so obviously we're thankful for everyone who displayed the posters.
"I'm really thankful for the good job my sons did putting the posters up and just blanketing the West Coast."
Constable Robin Manera of Haast police was investigating the vehicle and heard a voice in an area of dense bush and scrub.
He found Ms Roberts about 100m from the vehicle.
"At this time it is not known exactly how long Jessica had been at this location although it was obvious she had been in the outdoors without food for a number of nights. Considering her ordeal she is in remarkably good shape," Mr LeSueur said.
Volunteers from the Haast Rural Fire Party and St John's Ambulance helped police to chainsaw a track to her so she could be stretchered out.
She was taken to Haast township and treated by the Haast Rural Nurse.
Her condition was described as stable and she was taken to Dunedin Hospital for further treatment.
The highways on the West Coast had previously been searched by police, search and rescue volunteers and members of her family.
A number of side roads between Whataroa and Haast had been searched but the track where her vehicle was found was not searched, Mr LeSueur said.
- NZPA
