Aerial and ground searches grow as tramper search intensifies

Friday, 22 May 2020

Search and rescue teams were based at the Anatori River car park while they searched for the duo.

A lack of clear intentions or 'panic' date for a return was hampering efforts to locate two overdue trampers in Kahurangi National Park.

Four days into the rescue operation, extra resources were assisting the search for missing trampers Jessica O'Connor and Dion Reynolds on Friday.

There are 27 volunteers currently assisting with the search either in the field or at the forward base, with another eight volunteers set to join the search effort on Saturday.

A fresh search dog was also brought in on Friday to assist.

The infrared drone team and the NH90 helicopter continue to complement ground based searches.

The search has also expanded into the Heaphy Track area, and on the coast towards Farewell Spit.

The weather has been good and clear on Friday which has assisted the search teams’ progress.

The infrared drone will continue to be used overnight to detect any sign of Jessica and Dion, and ground searching will begin again at first light Saturday.

Search and rescue teams continue to scour the Anatori River and its surrounds in the hope of finding 23-year-olds Dion Reynolds, left, and Jessica O'Connor, who entered Kahurangi National Park on May 9 but have failed to return.

No heat or light sources were found by the Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter that searched inland from the Anatori River mouth overnight Thursday.

The helicopter would continue to deploy search teams and install more radio repeater stations while searching the Anatori River catchment, police said.

Both ground and air searchers commented on the density of the bush which made searching difficult.

Setting up in the FENZ command unit. Sergeant Malcolm York (pictured front), the officer in charge of Tasman search and rescue, said teams had found 'items of interest' in the search for missing trampers Jessica O'Connor and Dion Reynolds.

* No sign of missing trampers as search continues overnight

* Trampers missing in Kahurangi National Park

Extra fuel for NH90 is being trucked down to the staging post at the Anatori River.

Three teams that searched overnight Thursday have been rotated out for three new teams who will be doing more detailed searches into the hills on Friday.

A search dog that was assisting in the search on Thursday night had been swapped out due to continuously working on the rough terrain.

Two search teams were winched into the headwaters, in the vicinity of The Fosters Lookout late Thursday night, and would be searching downhill towards the river on Friday.

The number of searchers involved was expected to grow throughout Friday.

Police would continue to make use of the USAR drone that will also be searching the wider area for heat and light.

Rescue coordinator Senior Constable Dave Cogger of Nelson Police said the NH90 helicopter had remained busy throughout the day, conducting aerial searches and transporting field teams to areas surrounding the Anatori River.

The drone had covered several waterways on Friday, including Lake Otuhie and Snake Creek.

Search management had been making extensive enquiries to corroborate differing reports of the expected return date of the pair.

Despite the area covered and the growing resources thrown at the search, Cogger said this lack of firm details regarding the pair's intentions made it difficult to narrow down a possible route taken by the pair.

'That's the difficulty we're dealing with in that there we have no established return time or panic date.'

'The obvious starting point is their car, which tells us that it was their probable start and return point - and we can the food inside the car also suggests they were well-catered for.'

Items of interest had been identified on Thursday, however Cogger said there was no clear evidence to suggest it was linked to O'Connor or Reynolds at this stage.

Footprints and a historic campsite located near the Webb River yesterday had offered a potential indicator of human presence.

However, Cogger said a search dog had shown little interest in an extinguished fire at the campsite, which indicated that the site had not been visited for a number of days.

Footprints found in the vicinity had been tracked but the direction had only indicated they had gone as high as they could on the nearby hilltops but had not progressed further.

'We're not discounting any clues, but there's no way of telling if anything belongs to Jess or Dion.'

The search will continue into the weekend with refreshed field teams.

Cogger thanked the ongoing efforts of LandSAR volunteers who had walked many kilometres through challenging terrain in the last four days.

Police are asking for anyone who has been around the Anatori, Webb, Kokopu, Independent and Fraser rivers since May 8 and who may have seen the pair to get in touch.

Anyone with information should contact Police on 105 and quote event number P042228949.