A Reporoa man has died while on a hunting trip with friends in the Kaimanawa Forest Park.
Senior Constable Barry Shepherd of the Taupo police said the 56-year-old died last night while on a hunting trip near the Old Quarry off Clements Mill Rd in the Kaimanawa Forest Park.
He was with two other men making their way to a hut in the park when he felt unwell and stopped for a rest. After the two companions reached the hut, one of them went back to find him, but he died soon afterwards, Mr Shepherd said. The death is not suspicious and has been reported to the Coroner.
Police and a paramedic using the Youthtown Rescue Helicopter recovered the man's body last night.
Meanwhile, a 48-year-old Taupo man was found safe and well just after midnight today after he was reported overdue on the W2K mountainbike track between Whakaipo Bay and Kinloch, west of Taupo.
Two track maintenance crew on quad bikes and a friend of the missing biker riding a mountainbike went out to look for him, while the effort was co-ordinated by the Taupo police.
Mr Shepherd said the missing man was reported overdue at 10.15pm, after setting out from home at 4.30pm and not coming home when expected. He had underestimated the time needed to ride the track and ran out of daylight. With the darkness in the bush it was impossible to continue so he waited until he was found, Mr Shepherd said.
Also last night, a group of several Malaysian students were reported overdue on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Two of the group arrived at the Ketetahi road end by dark but when the rest of their group had not arrived by 8.30pm
they were reported overdue. A radio call to the Ketetahi DOC Hut Warden established the group was there, and they decided to continue in the dark. They had enough torches among them and were expected at the road end by midnight.
Mr Shepherd said it transpired the group had made very slow progress over the mountain, so the trip took much longer than planned.
Last night a 19-year-old Hamilton man was rescued by the Youthtown Rescue Helicopter crew, after he cut his wrist while butchering a deer near his camp in the Oamaru Valley in the Kaimanawa Forest Park. He activated his personal locater beacon after the 5.30pm mishap and was in Taupo Hospital by 9.30pm. He was treated and later discharged.
Early this morning Taupo police and a St John Paramedic on the Youthtown rescue helicopter found a hunter at the source of a personal locator beacon activation in the Manganuiohou River, west of Lake Waikaremoana. The hunter had been lost for two nights. He was winched out of the bush and reunited with his hunting companions at their campsite.
Police urge people to plan well for their trips into the outdoors, take suitable equipment, know how to use it, and never overestimate your ability.