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By Lynda Van Kempen on Wed, 9 Jun 2010
The Regions: Central Otago

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Two "ill-prepared" hunters stranded in snow near Oteake
Conservation Park would have died if neighbouring farmers had not
been checking stock in the blizzard, one of the men's rescuers said
yesterday.
The hunters, Dunedin men in their 20s, had abandoned their vehicle
which was stuck in snow and walked for hours on Monday through
50cm-high snow, hoping to get cellphone reception to call for help,
one of the two farmers who rescued the men said.
The farmer declined to be named.
"The road [through the park] is closed and locked, with signs up to
say it's closed, and the men were soaking wet, one of t hem wearing
trackpants and sneakers, walking in the middle of nowhere and
miles from any cellphone coverage.
"If we hadn't found them, they'd have perished. They were just
lucky we happened to be up there checking on our sheep," she said.
The farmers spent about five hours rescuing the men, driving a
tractor through to tow out the men's Toyota Hilux four-wheel-drive.
The couple found the men about 2.30pm near a walking track
beside the old homestead building, on the conservation park
boundary at Hawkdun Runs Rd, about 10km from St Bathans
township.
Department of Conservation Central Otago area manager Mike
Tubbs said the park was open year round but the 4WD tracks
through the park were closed from the start of May to Labour
Weekend, with locked gates at each end, at St Bathans and at
Omarama, and signs stating the tracks were closed.
He had been advised of the rescue by the farmers and described
the hunters' actions as "foolhardy".
"If not for the chance encounter with the farmers, they would have
been in dire straits," Mr Tubbs said.
People enjoyed the park for recreation year-round, including groups
climbing and ski-touring throughout winter and that was "perfectly
fine" if they were well-prepared.
The rescuer said the hunters had spent a night in a Doc hut in the
park but had only one sleeping bag.
It was wet and cold, their trackpants and sneakers were soaking
wet.
They weren't going to last that long and it's a long walk in a
blizzard, in inadequate clothing."
The men had sheltered in a derelict homestead, while the farmers
went to get the tractor.
By the time they returned, with hot coffee and muesli bars, the men
were "in bad shape and struggling to even hold the coffee".
The hunters did not need any medical attention and were able to
drive off once their vehicle had been towed out.
They seemed to be embarrassed by their predicament.
"They said nobody would have missed them until they didn't turn up
for work on Tuesday. It would've been too late by then," the farmer
said.
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