Five Wanganui women who survived a 40m plunge in their vehicle down a sheer cliff face feel they owe their lives to a group of 4WD enthusiasts who just happened to come along.
Katherine Cole, daughter of one of the five women, told the Chronicle yesterday the three 4WD vehicles had turned up like guardian angels.
As the Chronicle reported on the front page yesterday, the group of women in their 60s had veered off the the upper Mangaehu road, a remote narrow, winding gravel road.
Today more details of the remarkable rescue can be revealed.
One woman who was able to walk went for help and waded along the stream until she was able to scramble up the cliff then walked 45 minutes to a farm house, Ms Cole said.
"But there was no one home - it seemed like the house was empty."
Then, out of the blue in three vehicles appeared members of the Wairarapa 4WD club with friends from Te Awamutu and Stratford.
They were flagged down by the woman who told them their vehicle had plummeted down the bank and four of them were injured, one badly.
Luckily, she had thought to count the number of marker posts along the isolated road and was able to show them them where they had gone over, Ms Cole said.
Masterton woman Erin Wishart said if the woman hadn't counted the poles they would never have seen where the vehicle had skidded off the road.
"You couldn't even see where the vehicle had slipped. We would have driven straight past it."
Ms Wishart said they were all horrified when they stared over the cliff and saw the 4WD on its side in the creek.
"We could see someone was trapped in the vehicle - I'm still amazed they survived it was a long fall down a really steep cliff."
At first two of them tried to climb down the cliff face but it was impossible and too treacherous, she said.
While one of the vehicles went to get help and call 111, one of the group parked their Land Rover across the road and set up a winch and ropes. Two of the men secured with ropes were able to lower themselves down the cliff face to the four stranded, injured women.
The men then wrapped ropes under the armpits of three of the injured woman and pulled them up to the road where the rest of the group were waiting with blankets and hot cups of tea, Ms Wishart said.
They were trying to pull the vehicle over so they could rescue the woman with her arm pinned under the side when the Toko Volunteer fire brigade arrived, she said.
"Those women were so brave. They didn't scream or cry they were so calm I really admired them."
Ms Wishart said it was incredible that they happened to be there and able to help.
"We actually wouldn't have been there, it's just that we decided to have lunch first which we weren't going to do - we must have been meant to stay for lunch.
"I'm so glad we did because no one would have found those women for a long time. I mean, you really are in the middle of nowhere out there."
The rescue party followed the emergency services into Toko where a rescue helicopter was waiting on the playing field of the tiny Toko school, she said.
They then stopped in Stratford and had a cup of tea and a bit of a debrief, she said.
"We really couldn't quiet believe what had happened."
Katherine Cole said it was lovely yesterday to hear from Ms Wishart who had rung on behalf of the group to ask how the women were and to send them their best.
"They're wonderful and my mum and the other women are so grateful."
One woman is still in Taranaki Base Hospital with a seriously crushed arm and was undergoing more surgery yesterday.
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