Teen found safe at National Park

A Korean teenager missing overnight in National Park was today found safe and well close to Mangatepopo Hut.

Geonwoo, 16, was last seen by family near Taranaki Falls around 4pm yesterday.

A 20-strong search and rescue team assisted by a police dog today found Geonwoo's name and yesterday's date etched into a clay bank on the track between Taranaki Falls and Tawa Lakes.

The search team came across a tramper who had seen the boy about 200m from the Mangatepopo Hut and rescuers found him a short time later.

The boy was cold, but unharmed, and after a first-aid check was flown by helicopter back to National Park and reunited with his family.

The boy could not speak English and police said they did not know precisely what happened, other than Geonwoo had become lost after wandering away from his family.

- NZPA