Friday, 8 April 2011 - 3:36pm |
National News

Missing Australian tourist found

1 min read

An Australian man who went missing in Nelson Lakes National Park on Thursday was located about 9am by a helicopter searching the area.

Dominic Marozzi set off from West Bay car park at 12.45pm yesterday to run around Lake Rotoiti. He took a wrong turn at the head of the lake and headed up the Travers Valley and towards Angelus Hut.

Mr Marozzi spent a cold night in the open before being located by a rescue helicopter. He was taken to Nelson Hospital with suspected hypothermia.

Tasman District Search and Rescue Co-ordinator Sherp Tucker said 27 people were involved in the search along with dogs, the fire service command vehicle and Department of Conservation staff.

Mr Tucker said the district had experienced its busiest summer on memory for search and rescue operations with 137 since Christmas.

Two weeks ago a Swedish hunter went missing in the same area and was found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Earlier in March British tourist James Esbester sparked a large search in the Wangapeka area and was found alive after spending five nights in the bush.

In February Kent Trendall from Tasmania went missing in Lake Rotoroa and has not been found.

Mr Tucker said international visitors made up about 14 percent of searches, however they accounted for about 80 percent of those who were not found alive.

He urged people to be familiar with the outdoor safety code before heading into the bush.

"It's quite simple: plan your trip, tell someone where you're going, be aware of the weather, know your limits and make sure you have the right gear."