Lifted from Tararuas

Press, 19 October 1976, Page 1

Lifted from Tararuas

PA Wellington The missing hunter, Walter Neuweg, was plucked from the Tararuas in a daring helicopter rescue late yesterday as heavy cloud closed in the creek where he had lain for two days with a broken leg. With visibility fluctuating from 100 to just 50 metres, ground searchers had to “talk” Flight-Lieutenant Al Buckingham into the narrow head of the Tregear stream, where Mr Neuweg was injured in a fall on Saturday. Searchers described the rescue as “out of this world.”

Lt Buckingham had to fly up the valley to lower Dr David Virtue to the injured man after a ground party found him about 3 pan. and then hover about 50 metres away. While cloud was closing

in all the time he returned to winch the two on board from a height of about 15 metres.

“I’ve flown in worse conditions but it was a bit difficult getting out because we had to fly down hill,” Lt Buckingham said. “We had no choice really. It was the last chance we had to get him out, the weather was getting pretty foul and I wouldn’t like his chances if he had had to stay up there another night,” he said. “The ground party ‘talked’ us in on the radios It had cleared a bit when we picked up Dr Virtue from a field hut about 4.45 pun., but it was still thick in the gullies and we couldn’t see much till we picked up one of the ground party’s bright orange parkas.” After he manoeuvred out

of the valley, Lt Buckingham flew above the clouds to take Mr Neuweg to Hutt Hospital where he tonight described the rescue as a “tremendous job.” “They were really good, they were just sitting above the trees while they winched me up and visibility would have been less than 100 yards. Mr Neuweg, aged 3s, said the helicopter was the second he had seen since he slipped and fell while hunting with a companion, Mr Fred Woods, about midday on Saturday. On Sunday morning a helicopter flew over the creek about 200 ft above him.

“They didn't see me. I thought they had and had gone for help. Then later in the afternoon I thought I heard some shouting and

fired two shots, but it might not have been anyone.

“I heard more shouting just before they found me and about five minutes later they came down the waterfall,” he said. An experienced hunter, Mr Neuweg said he broke his leg when he fell from a large rock. Mr Woods made a splint and left him with their essential gear, including two sleeping bag covers, and both rifles and went for help. Problems for rescuers started when Mr Woods could not recall exactly where he had left the injured man. The stream he named turned out to be the correct one, but Mr Neuweg was much further up than Mr Woods remembered.