Has anyone seen this?
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/25906870/search-to-resume-for-missing-mt-aspiring-tramper/
I hope that they are ok, but its starting to sound like this could be another statistic. I had a feeling there are people from here (pro-active?) that were heading into this area, I genuinely hope that its not them or their party :/
Anyone think they know where this gorge is?
More information in this report: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/64659559/Tramper-missing-in-remote-Mt-Aspiring-National-Park
Looks like it's this gorge: http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-44.27672,168.956968&z=14
*edit* my pin isnt working... the gorge just to the sw of Jumboland flats.
This post has been edited by the author on 6 January 2015 at 10:10.
so. he went into a very difficult gorge with very few clothes. or emergency gear. nothing to sustain him overnight... I guess it was too much to ask he had a flotation device. let alone a locator beacon that probably wouldn't work in the gorge anyway...
@Yarmoss that stuff article was mint! Do you think they would have been camped in jumbo flats? then walked back up to look for him, then on to top forks to call for help?
Sounds like that gorge was tiger country, funny to imagine anyone could think that it possibly be a shortcut..
@wayno haha floatation device? yea you could be right, bet those 'expert whitewater searchers' had a bit more gear than old mate did :)
There was a thing on the front page of the ODT today, heres the online version http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/329141/tracks-found-hunt-tramper
Yup, looks like they camped at Jumboland, popped up to the lakes in the north branch on a daytrip, headed back down to camp and where the track veers southeast at about BZ12 772 893 this guy decided to drop down the gorge rather then climb above it. It's only about 3-400m of river to negotiate, but yeah, that's all it can take.
About 5 years ago I came up the flooded Wilkin from Kerin Forks to Jumboland on the true left as I couldn't get across. Took 8 hours with 2 very hairy crossings of Siberia and Newland streams. It's got some very big boulders in it, I hope this guy isn't lodged under one of them.
anyone know the gorge or have photos of it and know how difficult it is?
Yep, going that way end of month, but this guy went 'off track'' without any gear.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/64698337/Tramper-believed-drowned-in-Wilkin-River
"Wanaka LandSAR spokesman Phil Melchior said the conditions were like a "huge washing machine that cannot be turned off".
"Anyone losing their balance while trying to cross had almost no chance of getting out again once in the gorge."
A river rescue team .... had to pioneer a route through the gorge, bolting themselves to rocks as they searched for Oliver yesterday.
Bailey, a team leader with Wanaka LandSAR's river rescue team and one of the district's most experienced white water kayakers, confirmed he had never thought about going in to the area before.
"It is very steep, very bouldery, and there are lots of places where it is flowing underneath rocks. There is a decent amount of flow," Bailey said.
"I certainly would not want to be walking through there with anyone who wasn't very experienced. There are so many places you can fall over and fall in. The chances of coming out are pretty minimal."
Me too,heading into that area last week of jan to camp near top forks and day trips from there.
Great area of the beautiful SI back country.
That "short cut" he tried is a bad idea at the best of times,but lets put this down to an error of judgement and leave it at that.
No need to over analyse what looks like to be a another tragic accident.Thoughts should be with his friends and family now,also the searchers and others involved.
Search has been called off, I thought this was a bit sad. He is obviously trapped under a rock or log.
Rivers can swallow things for good, a guy I knew once, he lent on a branch over a ledge to take a photo of a waterfall, branch broke and Darren fell down and in. They looked for a week solid, still no sign, then gave up. It was the local iwi who found him in the end, apparently an elder had a vision in her sleep and the next day they found him. He was stuck under a ledge in a deep hole.
Something you never forget :/
Anyway, yea my thoughts go out to his family, what a tragic end to what should have just been an awesome tramp in beautiful country.
Just back from a nice break in the Upper Wilkin,based at Top Forks.Was speaking to the jetboat guys at Makarora and his body has now been found thankfully.
It was recovered near Dans Flat in the Lower Wilkin,about 15 kms downstream.
The gorge he drowned in was the one that runs downstream from after Lake Diana and were the stream that drains Mt Ragan enters the Wilkin Nth branch. The track avoids it via a grunt up a spur.
