The rider was dressed in lycra biking gear, which Crawford said wouldn’t have withstood wet and cold conditions.
Crawford said the tracks rescuers traversed in wet, cold and slippery conditions were horrendous.
The five Far North Land Search and Rescue volunteers and two police search and rescuers trekking to find the rider had to clamber over roots and had mud up to their knees at times.
Rescuers took two-and-a-half hours to hike 5km to reach the rider’s whereabouts, which they knew because of a GPS signal from the man’s phone.
“By the time we reached him, the biker was in a bad way,” Overton said.
“He was soaking wet with hypothermia already setting in and struggling to walk.”
The man couldn’t be winched to safety as the bad weather prevented any air rescue, but he could barely walk and was soaked through.
Crawford said the rescuers had a cooker with them so were able to heat some food for the man before starting a four-hour trek back.
He commended the rider for staying put.
A farmer, whose property bordered the Waimā Range, helped the rescuers and the rider travel the last few kilometres and even gave them hot drinks at his home.
Crawford praised the farmer for his generosity to his tired team.
Overton said people needed to be prepared when undertaking activities in isolated or challenging environments on land or at sea.
That included wearing adequate clothing, having navigational tools and knowing the weather forecast.
Overton said communication devices like a phone in case of emergency situations could save a life.
The rescue comes after a tramper found himself lost in the Western Hills of Whangārei in September.
The tourist misjudged the length of time it would take to hike the track and had to be rescued by police and Northland Land Search and Rescue.
Northland Land Search and Rescue field team member Robbie Blankenstein echoed a similar safety message.
Those heading into the bush should be aware that even if the town seemed close by, danger was still possible, he said.
“We will always take the opportunity to say to people that even a simple ascending walk can turn into an adventure, and nobody ever plans for that.”
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
