Night ordeal on Ngauruhoe

A rescuer talks to a 19-year-old who spent the night on the slopes of Mt Ngauruhoe after getting lost. Photo / GREENLEA RESCUE HELICOPTER

Student survives after getting lost on Crossing

A woman has survived a freezing night 1500m up Mt Ngauruhoe after she became separated from her group and climbed the wrong mountain.

Police said the 19-year-old Malaysian Waikato University student was hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on Saturday when she went ahead of the group and became lost.

The woman called police about 5pm cold, hungry and dressed in clothes suitable only for a day outing. A 111 emergency operator had trouble understanding the distressed woman and search and rescue teams were dropped on Mt Tongariro - kilometres north of the woman's actual location.

The woman spent the night among rocks and snow and did not move from her location as Search and Rescue and police used night vision goggles to search Mt Tongariro. It was yesterday morning before rescuers realised the woman was actually on Mt Ngauruhoe.

Senior Constable Barry Shepherd was part of the team which found the woman at 8.30am yesterday.

"She was halfway down the east side [of Ngauruhoe] going the wrong way," Mr Shepherd said.

She was airlifted by the Taupo-based Greenlea Rescue Helicopter and taken to Whakapapa Village before continuing to Taupo Hospital. Mr Shepherd believed the woman had a sprained ankle but was not suffering hypothermia.

The woman's group "lost sight of her at the staircase leading out of Mangatepopo valley crater," Mr Shepherd said.

"She went right to the summit and over the top and down the other side.

"We responded with the rescue helicopter just before dark and did a search of all tracks with night vision goggles, then put a search team on the summit of Tongariro. The police call-taker at Communications couldn't determine where she was.

"Her and her friends speak good English - but she was seriously upset. It was a challenge for the call-taker to reach her."

As she climbed Mt Ngauruhoe the woman had been spotted by another tramping party. They told the Mangatepopo Hut ranger, who finally alerted rescuers to the woman's location.

Mr Shepherd said the woman "is obviously quite resilient" as the temperature dropped to 1C overnight: "She was wearing a T-shirt, hoodie and yoga pants, pink cap, blue backpack. We were surprised she was in such good condition [yesterday]."