Missing youth watched search from ridge

Press, 17 January 1989, Page 2

Missing youth watched search from ridge

By

PAT TAYLOR

in Greymouth The relieving police officer at Whataroa, Constable Colin Helem, will discuss with the district youth aid section at Greymouth whether an Auckland youth should be prosecuted for wasting the time of search parties last week-end. Search parties were put into the Franz Josef Glacier area and backed up by a helicopter search of the Waiho River, after the youth was reported missing. The police have since found that the youth watched the search from a ridge without revealing himself.

“It’s rather annoying,” said Constable Helem, who is relieving at Whataroa, while Constable lan Price is on leave. The glacier comes under the jurisdiction of the sole charge Whataroa station. “We didn’t know what we were dealing with — he could have fallen into the river, become lost or been injured,” he said. The youth, aged 16, was wearing only a pair of shorts and without footwear when he ran off towards the glacier after a car-park dispute with his travelling companion on Saturday night. He was seen at dusk by two trampers.

A search party from the Westland National Park Board went into the valley on Saturday evening, and three ground parties searched the area on Sunday morning. A helicopter was sent in but could not find him, although Constable Helem said that it appeared the youth was hiding from the search throughout and had seen the helicopter from a high ridge. He reappeared yesterday morning after answering a voice call from his searching companion. The cost of the search would have been substantial, said Constable Helem.