Trampers last seen nine days ago

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX


Marni Sheppeard broke a bone in her foot several months ago when she was climbing in the French Alps.

But the experience did not curb her enthusiasm for the outdoors - in particular the mountains - where the 36-year-old spends as much of her free time as possible.

Friends of Ms Sheppeard, who with 25-year-old Sonja Rendell is missing in the Arthurs Pass National Park, describe her as "ultra-resourceful", and "tough and determined".

They believe the two will be found safe and well by searchers or will walk out of the area themselves.

The women have spent an extra seven nights in the mountainous national park after not returning from a three-day pre-Christmas tramp.

Their food supplies will be gone, but those co-ordinating the search say the women are well-equipped for the extra nights despite the cold, wet weather.

Yesterday 50 fresh searchers entered the park, giving those who had worked over the weekend a break.

By mid-afternoon the weather had cleared and the rain had eased, although it was falling again as the search ended for the day at 8.30pm.

Helicopters, including an Air Force Iroquois, have covered the vast areas not easily accessible by foot.

Search co-ordinator Senior Constable Phil Simmonds said searchers were now concentrating on either side of the Waimakariri River, below the Carrington Hut.

And 150km away in Christchurch, another search began yesterday to find a Japanese backpacker who may have been the last person to speak to the missing women.

Mr Simmonds said police were visiting every hostel to find Yusaka Hiruma, who may know if the women changed their minds about which direction they were taking after leaving the Carrington Hut.

They stayed overnight at the hut on December 21, and it is the last place at which they were seen.

Other trampers were in the hut that night, but the women left early without speaking to anyone.

It was thought they were heading to the Julia Hut, but hut records show they did not arrive.

Both women are physics students at Canterbury University, and are working on theses. This month they attended a physics conference together in Australia.

Ms Sheppeard was born in Sydney, but has spent many years in New Zealand as one of her parents is a New Zealander.

Since shifting back in the past four years, she has worked in Wanaka at the Cardrona ski-field and has continued tramping and climbing.

She moved to Christchurch 18 months ago to finish her PhD on quantum gravity.

She is due in Nelson this weekend to attend a mathematical research conference.

Her friend Ros Goulding says that although Ms Sheppeard has not worked as an alpine guide, she has a level of experience high enough to do the job.

Ms Goulding believes that despite running out of food, the extra nights in the park were no reason to think the worst had happened to her friend.

"I know that Marni would have good equipment, and she is resourceful and has spent a lot of time in the mountains," she said.

"To be stuck somewhere for three or four or five days is not the end of the world. It just happens sometimes in the mountains."

Today, Ms Sheppeard's sister and a family friend will arrive from Australia and go to the Arthurs Pass search base, where Ms Rendell's parents and sisters of Ms Rendell have been for the past two days, waiting for news.