RNZAF Helicopter Crew Rescues Tararua Tramper And His Dog
The rescue took place in pre-dawn darkness early on Tuesday, with the crew negotiating low cloud and steep terrain.
Wellington man David Graham, an experienced tramper, and his Kelpie, Winnie, were on the second night of a tramp heading towards the Mid-King Bivvy, when the weather closed in with thick cloud reducing visibility to less than 20 metres.
'I've been told since then that it's a notoriously difficult hut to find because the track had overgrown,' Mr Graham said.
Unable to find the shelter on Monday night, he and Winnie settled under a large rock, which had icicles hanging off it that would provide water if needed.
However, by 9pm the cloud lifted, bringing dew down and freezing his sleeping bag. Mr Graham called emergency services and set off his personal locator beacon.
It was initially decided a Land Search and Rescue team would walk in the next day, but at 2am, a shivering Mr Graham, concerned about his health should rain set in, contacted NZ Police again.
An NH90 helicopter from RNZAF Base Ohakea left for the Tararua Ranges by 4am.
'The next thing I heard, it was about was about 4.30am, the chopper coming through. They took Winnie up first, which was lovely. They were very thoughtful and brought a specific bag for the dog.
'As soon as I got in the chopper I was given the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life. They gave me a Crunchie bar and put a heated pack down my front.'
After landing at Masterton's Hood Aerodrome, Mr Graham was assessed by medics who found early symptoms of hypothermia had begun to affect his feet.
It was an emotional journey out of the ranges and Mr Graham was 'pretty happy' to be flown to safety. He said he was looking forward to seeing his wife and their one-year-old baby.
No.3 Squadron NH90 pilot, Squadron Leader Andrew Stewart, said Mr Graham had done the right thing by taking a personal locator beacon with him which meant they were able to fly almost directly to him.
'When we arrived he shone his torch so we could see him easily.'
The terrain was steep with bluffs directly below Mr Graham, so it was a potentially dangerous situation for him to have lost his bearings. The cloud was thick and low, sitting on the eastern side of the ranges, Squadron Leader Stewart said.
'The temperature was pretty much on freezing – it was 0.5degC when we were up there where he was.'
Mr Graham wanted to pass his thanks to the NH90 crew and Police who helped him in the early hours of the day.
'I was pretty tired, but I really appreciated all the expertise from everyone. I can't imagine all the complexities of pulling together something like that at 4am.
'I'm just really grateful. And I hope the medic keeps tight hold of whatever recipe he has for that hot chocolate.'
The rescue was medic Corporal Sam Wardhaugh's first time winching in a search and rescue mission since gaining his qualification a week earlier.
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1News
09-07-2025
- 1News
Tramper and dog rescued from Wellington's Tararua Ranges
A near-hypothermic tramper who was winched to safety alongside his dog says he is "really grateful" to have been rescued from freezing conditions in the ranges north of Wellington yesterday morning. The rescue in the Tararua Ranges took place in pre-dawn darkness early on Tuesday, with a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) helicopter crew negotiating low cloud and steep terrain. Wellington man David Graham, an experienced tramper, and his Kelpie, Winnie, were on the second night of a tramp heading towards the Mid-King Bivvy on Monday night when the weather closed in and they could not find the hut. Unable to find the shelter, he and Winnie settled under a large rock. But by 9pm the cloud lifted, bringing dew down and freezing his sleeping bag. In 0.5C temperatures with rain setting in, Graham called emergency services and set off his personal locator beacon to alert authorities to his whereabouts. ADVERTISEMENT The crew winched a near-hypothermic tramper and his dog to safety from freezing conditions in the Tararua Ranges north of Wellington. (Source: Supplied) While it was initially decided a Land Search and Rescue crew would walk in the following day, by 2am a shivering Graham contacted police again. An NH90 helicopter from RNZAF Base Ohakea left for the Tararua Ranges at 4am, reaching him 30 minutes later. "As soon as I got in the chopper I was given the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life. They gave me a Crunchie bar and put a heated pack down my front." No.3 Squadron NH90 pilot, Squadron Leader Andrew Stewart, said Graham had done the right thing by taking a personal locator beacon with him which meant they were able to fly almost directly to him. The terrain was steep with bluffs directly below Graham, so it was a potentially dangerous situation for him to have lost his bearings. The cloud was thick and low, sitting on the eastern side of the ranges, Stewart said. David Graham being winched to safety. (Source: NZDF) ADVERTISEMENT After landing at Masterton's Hood Aerodrome, he was assessed by medics who found early symptoms of hypothermia had begun to affect his feet. Graham said he was was "pretty happy" to be flown to safety, and would be able to see his wife and one-year-old baby. "I'm just really grateful. And I hope the medic keeps tight hold of whatever recipe he has for that hot chocolate."
RNZ News
09-07-2025
- RNZ News
Tramper and dog winched to safety from freezing Tararua Ranges
The Royal New Zealand Air Force deployed a helicopter to rescue a freezing tramper and his dog in the Tararua Ranges north of Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Supplied A personal locator beacon has helped a near-hypothermic tramper and his dog be rescued from freezing conditions in the Tararua Ranges. On Monday Wellington man David Graham, an experienced tramper, and his Kelpie, Winnie, were on the second night of a tramp heading toward the Mid-King Bivvy, when the weather closed in with thick cloud reducing visibility to less than 20 metres. Unable to find shelter Graham and his dog settled under a large rock, which had icicles hanging off it that would provide water if needed. Graham said he'd since been told a hut in the area was notoriously difficult to find because the track had overgrown. By 9pm the cloud had lifted, bringing dew down and freezing Graham's sleeping bag. He then called emergency services and also set off his personal locator beacon. A Defence Force spokesperson said it was initially decided a Land Search and Rescue team would walk in the next day, but at 2am Graham contacted police again concerned about his health should rain set in. Winnie the Kelpie dog before she and her owner, Wellington tramper David Graham were rescued from the Tararua Ranges on Tuesday morning. Photo: RNZ / Supplied An NH90 helicopter from the Royal New Zealand Air Force Base in Ohakea left for the Tararua Ranges by 4am on Tuesday. "The next thing I heard, it was about 4.30am, the chopper coming through," Graham said. Graham and his dog were winched into the chopper. "They took Winnie up first, which was lovely. They were very thoughtful and brought a specific bag for the dog," he said. "As soon as I got in the chopper I was given the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life. They gave me a Crunchie bar and put a heated pack down my front." For medic Corporal Sam Wardhaugh, it was his first time winching in a search and rescue mission after gaining his qualification a week earlier. No.3 Squadron NH90 pilot, Squadron Leader Andrew Stewart, said Graham had done the right thing by taking a personal locator beacon with him, as it had meant they were able to fly almost directly to him. "When we arrived he shone his torch so we could see him easily," Stewart said. Stewart said the terrain was steep with bluffs directly below where Graham was with thick low cloud sitting on the eastern side of the ranges. "The temperature was pretty much on freezing - it was 0.5 degrees Celsius when we were up there where he was." After landing, Graham was assessed by medics who found early symptoms of hypothermia had begun to affect his feet. Following the rescue Graham said was was looking forward to being reunited with his wife and baby. "I was pretty tired, but I really appreciated all the expertise from everyone. I can't imagine all the complexities of pulling together something like that at 4am." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
09-07-2025
- Scoop
RNZAF Helicopter Crew Rescues Tararua Tramper And His Dog
A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) helicopter crew has winched a near-hypothermic tramper and his dog to safety from freezing conditions in the Tararua Ranges north of Wellington. The rescue took place in pre-dawn darkness early on Tuesday, with the crew negotiating low cloud and steep terrain. Wellington man David Graham, an experienced tramper, and his Kelpie, Winnie, were on the second night of a tramp heading towards the Mid-King Bivvy, when the weather closed in with thick cloud reducing visibility to less than 20 metres. 'I've been told since then that it's a notoriously difficult hut to find because the track had overgrown,' Mr Graham said. Unable to find the shelter on Monday night, he and Winnie settled under a large rock, which had icicles hanging off it that would provide water if needed. However, by 9pm the cloud lifted, bringing dew down and freezing his sleeping bag. Mr Graham called emergency services and set off his personal locator beacon. It was initially decided a Land Search and Rescue team would walk in the next day, but at 2am, a shivering Mr Graham, concerned about his health should rain set in, contacted NZ Police again. An NH90 helicopter from RNZAF Base Ohakea left for the Tararua Ranges by 4am. 'The next thing I heard, it was about was about 4.30am, the chopper coming through. They took Winnie up first, which was lovely. They were very thoughtful and brought a specific bag for the dog. 'As soon as I got in the chopper I was given the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life. They gave me a Crunchie bar and put a heated pack down my front.' After landing at Masterton's Hood Aerodrome, Mr Graham was assessed by medics who found early symptoms of hypothermia had begun to affect his feet. It was an emotional journey out of the ranges and Mr Graham was 'pretty happy' to be flown to safety. He said he was looking forward to seeing his wife and their one-year-old baby. No.3 Squadron NH90 pilot, Squadron Leader Andrew Stewart, said Mr Graham had done the right thing by taking a personal locator beacon with him which meant they were able to fly almost directly to him. 'When we arrived he shone his torch so we could see him easily.' The terrain was steep with bluffs directly below Mr Graham, so it was a potentially dangerous situation for him to have lost his bearings. The cloud was thick and low, sitting on the eastern side of the ranges, Squadron Leader Stewart said. 'The temperature was pretty much on freezing – it was 0.5degC when we were up there where he was.' Mr Graham wanted to pass his thanks to the NH90 crew and Police who helped him in the early hours of the day. 'I was pretty tired, but I really appreciated all the expertise from everyone. I can't imagine all the complexities of pulling together something like that at 4am. 'I'm just really grateful. And I hope the medic keeps tight hold of whatever recipe he has for that hot chocolate.' The rescue was medic Corporal Sam Wardhaugh's first time winching in a search and rescue mission since gaining his qualification a week earlier.
