A tramper with a dislocated knee was rescued from a remote part of the Tararua Range this morning.
John Burgess, one of the three party members, said the incident occurred at around 10.40am – and was hampered by low-hanging cloud.
The group had hiked out of Ōtaki Forks north of Wellington on Thursday and spent the first two nights in Field and Maungahuka hut.
One member of the party described strong winds on Friday, reaching 70km/h, leaving some low-hanging clouds over the ridge line this morning.
Having crested the 1300-metre Maungahuka, the group was hiking back towards Ōtaki, having just passed the trail’s distinctive 25-metre metal ladder on Tuiti, when the accident happened.
The man, named by Burgess as Andrew, was scaling a rock face using chains when he fell sideways and dislocated his knee, leaving him hanging, a two-day tramp from the road’s end.
Burgess said the other members of the party noticed things were amiss from above and climbed down to check on their fellow tramper.
They strapped the man’s leg, which Burgess described as “looking all akimbo”, and called 111.
Things weren’t straightforward, however, and the low-hanging cloud from the last night’s wind prevented an immediate helicopter deployment.
The clouds eventually lifted at around 10.40am, and a Westpac rescue helicopter arrived immediately.
One rescuer performed a skid landing, then winched the patient to safety while the tramping party watched on.
Burgess described the situation to 1News from his position atop the Tararuas.
He said he and the remaining party member were enjoying some “beautiful sun for now”, but would be hiking over to Kime hut for the night and out from Ōtaki on Sunday.
