Defence Force joins search to find 60-year-old man missing in Tararua Range
Wednesday, 6 February 2019
The New Zealand Defence Force has joined the search for a 60-year-old man missing in the Tararua Range.
Police said the man started a four-day tramp in the mountain range north of Wellington at the Carterton end of the forest on Thursday, January 31.
He was due home on Sunday, but when he failed to return, the man was reported missing to police on Tuesday morning.
Incident controller Senior Constable Pete Cunningham said a ground search of tracks and huts started on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday.
**READ MORE:
* Trampers warned about the dangers of underestimating the Tararua Range
* Trampers flown out of Tararua Range after getting into trouble
* Man who fell ill on Tararua Range reportedly ill-prepared for dangerously low temperatures**
Defence Force Air Component Commander Commodore Tim Walshe said a Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter had been brought in to help with the search on Wednesday afternoon.
It was carrying search and rescue personnel and was requested by police.
There were eight search and rescue teams looking for the man along with the use of the NH90 helicopters.
Mountain Safety Council spokesman Nick Kingstone has previously said people often underestimate the Tararua Range and its conditions.
The council completed an in-depth look at New Zealand's outdoor playgrounds and released the report A Walk in the Park in 2018.
It found the Tararuas were a hotspot with a large number of people getting into trouble in them.
'They are quite close to the coast and have a reasonable elevation as well.
'People can underestimate how quickly the weather can turn and how severe it can get through the Tararuas,' Kingstone said.