Tramper rescued in 'raging creek'

A tramper was rescued yesterday after being trapped for five hours under a log in a "raging creek".

The man was tramping towards Glenorchy with a small group when he tried to cross the swelling Chinaman's Creek and got his foot caught under a log.

Ambulance officer Callan Grimmer said he had sent a boat out to investigate a pack that had been reported floating down the creek when he got the call from police about the trapped tramper.

Creeks and rivers in the area were "raging" after heavy rain had fallen in the past couple of days, with the Dart River rising by 10 times its normal flow to 700 cumecs, Mr Grimmer said.

Queenstown police Sergeant Steve Watt said the tramper was found after his locator beacon signal was picked up by a passing satellite at the same time as two out of the four trampers with him reached a nearby farm to raise the alarm.

It took 40 minutes to free the trapped tramper and he was flown to Lakes District Hospital by a Heliworks Queenstown helicopter. Last night the tramper was in a stable but hypothermic condition.

Mr Watt said he was unsure how the tramper's foot became trapped, but it was four hours before the beacon signal was picked up by the satellite.

The remaining trampers were continuing with their trek out of the area.

The rescue was the fifth in the southern region involving a locator beacon in the past four days.

scot.mackay@stl.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News