Scouts rescued after 'unwise decision' to go tramping

RELIEVED: Hannah Ashmore-Price, centre, tries on the helmet of the pilot of the rescue helicopter.

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Ten Christchurch scouts who spent a cold night in the West Coast bush after heavy rain trapped them between two swollen rivers should not have been tramping in the area, police say.

West Coast police said the scouts should not have embarked on the five-day tramp when heavy rain was forecast, but the scout leader said he consulted MetService and the Department of Conservation and assessed river levels before the trip.

The scouts were airlifted to safety by helicopter on Thursday morning after spending the night in a bivouac.

MetService issued heavy-rain warnings for the region 24 hours before the Scouts began their tramp.

Warnings were issued on Tuesday morning and Tuesday night. A warning on the morning of the tramp cautioned people to "watch out for rapidly rising rivers and creeks".

The Phoenix Venturer Scouts began the Harper Pass tramp on Wednesday morning, but heavy rain meant they could not cross Pfeifer Creek to reach their hut. They could not backtrack as a creek they had crossed became impassable.

They built a bivouac on high ground and spent the night in the bush. River levels were still high in the morning, so they used their radios to call for help.

The West Coast rescue helicopter airlifted the scouts to Jackson's Tavern on State Highway 73 in three trips about 11.30am.

Constable Tony LeSuer, of the Hokitika police, said the scouts should not have set out on the tramp but did the right things once they realised they were trapped by the rising rivers.

"If people are going to go tramping they need to check the weather forecast. There were heavy-rain warnings in force," he said.

"Tramping through a river system was probably an unwise decision. There were some unwise decisions made before the start of the trip, but during the trip there were some very wise decisions made."

Scout leader Rene Hazlett said he checked before allowing the tramp to go ahead.

"We drove up to the river and assessed it. When we got there, the river was not any different to normal," he said.

"Under the conditions and talking to a few people, no-one said we should definitely not go. They said it would be difficult, but no-one said it would be unwise."

Hazlett said he was proud of how the scouts reacted.

"Everyone can tramp when it is warm and sunny, but the fact is they solved every problem."

One of the scouts, Alex Andrews, said in Christchurch last night that the group's safety was never in doubt.

"We knew we had our mountain radio, so we knew we could call for help," he said.

"We knew what to do because we've learnt all this stuff over years in scouting."

Another member of the group, Hannah Ashmore-Price, said there was no panic despite being stranded. "We were well-equipped to keep warm."

- © Fairfax NZ News