Man rescued after attempt to hike country fails

A man's attempt to hike the length of New Zealand has ended before he left Northland. Photo / Thinkstock

A man attempting to walk the length of New Zealand has overestimated his abilities and needed rescuing only days into his trip.

Daniel Snelling, 24, set off from the Far North earlier this month but became lost in a forest west of Kerikeri yesterday.

Rescue Coordination Centre search controller Chris Henshaw said Snelling activated his personal locator beacon shortly after 11am.

"He was well and truly lost, cold and wet," Mr Henshaw said.

"It was important to get him to a place of safety."

Rescuers contacted Snelling's emergency contacts to learn about his adventure, and the GPS locator on his beacon helped the Northland Emergency Services Trust helicopter find him in the forest.

Snelling was flown to Kerikeri and checked by an ambulance crew.

He was cold and wet but uninjured.

Mr Henshaw said it proved the importance of carrying a registered rescue beacon.

"Carrying a registered PBL essentially removes 'search' from 'search and rescue', drastically increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome."