Father and son hunters airlifted unhurt from rugged terrain near Mt Cook

A helicopter was dispatched to assist the father and son after they activated a search and rescue beacon in a rugged Mt Cook area. Photo / Justine Tyerman

A man and his son have been airlifted unhurt out of a rugged South Island area following a failed hunting trip.

The pair had been hunting in the Landsborough Valley area near Mt Cook when they set of their search and rescue beacon at about 12.40pm.

A search was undertaken by an aircraft from The Helicopter Line, the Mt Cook Alpine Cliff Rescue team and The Garden City Greymouth EMS helicopter.

"The pair were located uninjured at around 3pm in an area which is high and has steep terrain," said Samantha Mildon, a search and rescue officer at the New Zealand Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

"The Mt Cook Alpine Cliff Rescue team were tasked to head back in and successfully evacuated the hunters at 4.30pm."

Mildon commended the hunters for doing "everything right".

"Activating their locator beacon and staying in place meant rescuers could find the pair quicker," she said.

The pair were not hurt.