A tramper in the Tararua Ranges was rescued on Saturday after activating a personal locator beacon [PLB].
The tramper had injured their knee and activated the PLB at about 3pm from a hut in the ranges, prompting the Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre [RCCNZ] to send a helicopter in response.
Amalgamated Helicopters were tasked with the retrieval, and said the extrication was a straightforward procedure.
Police were advised at 3.30pm that the PLB had been activated in the Tararua Forest Park; however, they could not provide further details as the event was handled primarily by RCCNZ, a police spokesperson said.
An RCCNZ spokesperson confirmed that the rest of the tramping party was able to continue once the injured tramper had been extricated.
RCCNZ highly recommends PLBs for “peace of mind that, if you get into trouble, rescue services are contactable, even in remote areas.”
PLBs that operate on 406MHz, with in-built GPS systems, and that are coded to New Zealand are recommended and legally must be registered with RCCNZ – registration has no cost.
