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A seemingly endless stream of missing hunters and trampers in the South Island has police concerned about people's preparation as the severe winter weather begins to set in.
Police led two searches in rural Canterbury yesterday - for a father and son who got lost on a day walk on Monday, and for a hunter who failed to show up on Sunday. The 38-year-old man and his 16-year-old son were found about 12.30pm yesterday when searchers onboard a helicopter spotted their silver survival blanket on Mt Richardson, in North Canterbury.
The pair had got "geographically embarrassed" and had walked in the wrong direction but were well-equipped.
About 20 searchers continued the hunt for the 24-year-old hunter in the Avoca Valley, near Lake Coleridge in central Canterbury.
He had good equipment but was not thought to have been prepared for overnight conditions.
Sergeant Peter Summerfield, head of the Canterbury police Search and Rescue, said the holiday weekend often threw up more search and rescue operations as more people venture outdoors.
Yet they did tend to come in clusters in different areas of the south throughout the year.
Mr Summerfield said it was inevitable that as large numbers of people went out to enjoy the outdoors, some would get lost or injure themselves.
Police like to hammer the safety message home at every opportunity.
Mr Summerfield said: "You have got to be equipped. Tell someone where you are going and follow those plans.
"If you are saying you are going somewhere, do that, so we are looking in the right places.
"Find out the weather forecasts. Electronic beacons are a good thing to have."
Winter meant colder temperatures, less daylight and the constant risk of bad weather setting in.
"People have to be aware the environment can change.
"People's judgment has to reflect the conditions they are walking or climbing in."
