Dad and daughters aged 14 and 11 missing from Lower Hutt hike have been found
Tuesday, 9 July 2019
A father and his two daughters missing after going hiking in Lower Hutt are 'tired and hungry but otherwise happy to be home with mum', police say.
A search and rescue operation had run all night in a bid to locate the family of three, who left Lees Grove in Wainuiomata at 12pm on Tuesday with the intention of hiking to Days Bay.
The 50-year-old father and his two daughters, aged 14 and 11, were located uninjured at the southern end of the East Harbour Regional Park. They left the park with rescuers about 10.25am.
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The family, who had entered the park at Lees Grove and planned to walk to Days Bay, were due to back home at 3.30pm on Tuesday. When they hadn't returned by 6pm police were contacted by a concerned family member.
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Police incident controller sergeant Hamish Knight said he believed the family had followed a trap line and ended up in the Gollans Stream.
The family were taken back to their home in Wainuiomata.
'They were tired and hungry but otherwise happy to be home with mum,' he said.
Land Search and Rescue teams had worked tirelessly throughout the night and into the morning to locate the family, Knight said.
He said the event highlighted the importance for bushwalkers to tell others of their intentions and to go into the bush prepared.
ALL NIGHT SEARCH
Searchers looked for the family through the night, emerging from the East Harbour Regional Park just before 6am on Wednesday.
One searcher said about 18 people had been working all night.
On Wednesday morning, police said eight search and rescue teams, each comprising three people, started another search of the area.
About 10.20am searchers with dogs re-enetered the park, and shortly after it was confirmed that the family had been found.
Police said in a statement that the family would be checked over by medical professionals.
Park ranger Jo Greenman said it was not easy to get lost on the track..
'It's pretty clear. they must have gone off track.'
East Harbour Regional Park stretches from Baring Head along the east side of the Wellington Harbour along the east side of Eastbourne.
The bush-clad hills rise from near sea level to up to 373 metres, across the area between Eastbourne and Wainuiomata. There are several bush tracks, including a ridge track and the Kereru and Korimako tracks.
A track from Ferry Rd to Lees Grove takes approximately two hours to complete, according to the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
'YOU COULD EASILY FOLLOW A TRAP LINE'
Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley said the area contained many interconnected tracks, but they were well-marked and well-established.
'There are patches which are less well-defined.
'In the fading light, in the dark, you could easily follow a trap line, but they are fairly obvious and short.'
The track was also steeper than many people anticipated, Daisley said.
'It doesn't look much but the nature of the track is very up and down.
'But it's a great family track. Thousands and thousands of people use it as a great little urban tramp.'
Walkers could potentially get lost if they sought a view or went to one of the streams off the main track and could not find their way back through the bush.
'Often when you turn around you can lose sight of where the track is.'
If the family did become lost, the best course of action would have been to stay in a group and find shelter, Daisley said.
'People will find you. You don't have to find them.'
He also encouraged trampers to advise a friend or family member of their plans and how long they expected to be away.