Tūhoe iwi and police collaborate in 13-hour effort to rescue injured woman 

Tūhoe iwi and police worked together to rescue an injured woman from a Great Walks track in a 13-hour operation last week.

Police were alerted to the injured tramper after Tūhoe iwi kaimahi (workers) discovered the woman at the Panekire Hut on the Waikaremoana Track, Te Urewera during a routine maintenance visit last Friday morning.

The woman with a leg injury was found with a group of walking friends who sought help to get her of the track.

The kaimahi alerted police and the Hawke’s Bay Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was deployed.

However, high winds at the top of the mountain stopped the helicopter from reaching the hut, said Tony Maultsaid​, Wairoa Police Search and Rescue Coordinator (SAR) senior constable.

“Given the deteriorating weather and the helicopter no longer being an option, a new plan was required for her extraction,” he said.

The group continued with the walk while the woman remained.

She was partly mobile and could walk out with help, which was better than using a stretcher given the nature of the track and bad weather, Maultsaid said.

“A stretcher would have been slower, more hazardous and required three times as many personnel, so walking out was the best choice.”

With the help of Tūhoe kaimahi who were present around Lake Waikaremoana during the busy time of year, and three Tūhoe Wairoa SAR volunteers, they helped her in getting to Waiopaoa Hut where she could then be transported by water taxi.

“The team deployed into the field, carrying equipment to support the injured tramper, and they arrived at Panekire Hut about 5.30pm and began the slow walk back to Waiopaoa Hut.”

The team arrived at the water taxi and were transported to safety about 1am, Maultsaid said.

Tina Wagner, kaimahi from Tūhoe, said the woman was checked over by St John ambulance staff and cared for at the Waimako arae.

The relationship between Tūhoe and local police enabled the operation’s successf, Maultsaid said.

Police reminded trampers to choose the right trip for their skill levels, keep an eye on the forecast and pack warm clothes and extra food, and to share plans with others.

They also recommended carrying beacons.

Tūhoe took over co-governance of Te Urewera nine years ago as part of its Treaty settlement – a world-first deal giving the former National Park its own legal personhood.

When the Te Urewera Act was passed into law, it enshrined the former national park with all the rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a legal person.

Te Urewera was placed under the kaitiakitanga of Tūhoe descendants, with support from the Department of Conservation.

Lake Waikaremoana, along with its Great Walk, was closed for several months in 2021.