Police praise teenagers lost in Southland bush

The five boys had set out on a day walk on the Makarewa Falls track in the Hokonui Hills but lost their way when the light faded.

By RNZ

The police are full of praise for a group of Southland teenagers who had to be rescued after getting lost in the bush overnight.

The five boys had set out on a day walk on the Makarewa Falls track in the Hokonui Hills but lost their way when the light faded.

About 8.15pm the police received an alert from the teenagers who had got in touch via the SOS function on their cellphone.

Invercargill police search and rescue coordinator Sergeant Alun Griffiths said a group of 10 Land Search and Rescue volunteers quickly assembled and went into the bush about 10.30pm.

The track was steep and slippery in place and there were a number of places where people could walk off the track and lose the markers, he said.

It had been raining, and the temperature had dropped sharply over the evening to about 5degC.

The search team made voice contact with the boys just after midnight and found them a short time later. The group then walked out, returning to the carpark about 2am.

The boys did all the right things and stayed calm, Griffiths said.

“Two of the boys had early signs of hypothermia but the boys had enough nous to realise that early on.

“They got a fire going and swapped some dry clothes around between them and made themselves reasonably comfortable.

“They stayed put, and followed the instructions we were able to provide back to them via the relay centre which was just to stay put, that we would come and get them.”

That instruction was fortunate, Griffiths said, as their cellphones had lost battery.

“Given the low battery on the phone we soon lost contact with them, so if they’d moved off it would have made looking for them exponentially harder.”

The boys could have had a very cold and miserable night, but their behaviour was impressive, he said.

“They were lucky this time but it’s indicative of this group of boys. They’d been cutting their teeth in the hills for the last couple of years, building up their skills set.”

A police spokesperson said although the night had a positive ending, it was a good reminder to walkers and trampers that a lack of light could change everything - and a day walk could soon turn into an overnight trip if people lost sight of the track.

Police: How to stay safe in the bush

• Be prepared - take food, water, clothing and equipment appropriate for the weather and length of trip.
• Let family or friends know where you are going, and when you expect to be back.
• Take a locator beacon.
• Watch the forecast.

- RNZ