It could have so easily been a different, and tragic story.

However, the successful search and rescue of a 27-year-old hunter lost in the Blue Mountains for two nights last week, had an uncommonly happy ending.

Miraculously, Kane O'Connor, originally from Helensville, lately of Dunedin, and completely unfamiliar with the wintry West Otago terrain, walked out unharmed. 

His age, fitness and stamina were factors in his survival, New Zealand Police Constable Murray Hewitson, of Owaka, said.

As the search and rescue operation controller, Hewitson was responsible for the forward planning, of where to search next, which can be done by satellite and maps. The ops team was based at the Balclutha fire station. 

"People think you've got to be out in the bush to undergo a search. You don't have to be."

Well, at least not for all of it. Reflecting on the huge behind the scenes and ground effort that went into finding the lost man, Hewitson paid tribute to the team's tenacity. While the search was led by the police, it was driven by about 60 volunteers, from throughout the Clutha District and Otago, who helped ensure a live rescue, and not the recovery of a body.

With the weather too bad and the area too wide for an extensive helicopter search, it was time-honoured techniques that helped the team narrow-down the search area.

"We built up a picture of this guy, by finding out as much as we could about him from his flatmate and companions. We got the make and size of his boots, which he'd just bought beforehand, so we were able to establish the tread pattern, and match it to the prints we'd found." 

While this was going on, the team also applied Lost Person Behaviour, first documented by North American author Robert J. Koester, about how a person typically behaves when they are lost, whether they be an alzheimers patient, a walker or a hunter. Their last known point, and how far they are capable of moving, are key factors in how quickly they can be found. 

"New Zealand's trying to do the same sort of research, because typically a New Zealand hunter will act differently.  ​For instance, they are likely to try and follow a waterway and get themselves out."

This is a two-edged sword, because it means they're likely to keep moving, rather than hunkering down, so they can be harder to find.

It was a good old-fashioned search techniques that found the lost hunter. He heard a voice calling him and responded.

When he got the call that the man had been located, Hewitson's training told him not to be too optimistic.

"Although you feel pretty pleased, you don't necessarily go 'whoop whoop' because you don't know what you're going to find."

But luckily, it was all good news.

Hewitson gives full credit to the man's rescuers: a combination of instinct, experience and patience won through.​

* Hunter lost near Balclutha wrote 'COLD' into the snow in a ... - Stuff.co.nz

www.stuff.co.nz/national/82188927/search-under-way-for-missing-hunter
Jul 18, 2016 - A hunter lost in freezing conditions wrote. ... The man was hunting with two others in theBlue Mountains north of Clydevale, near Balclutha. A man ... The 27-year-old hunter was found and reunited with his family on Monday ...

* Hunter missing in Otago's Blue Mountains found | Stuff.co.nz

www.stuff.co.nz/national/82188927/Hunter-missing-in-Otagos-Blue-Mountains-found
Jul 18, 2016 - A hunter missing in the Blue Mountains since Saturday has been found alive. ... Searchers have found the hunter missing since Saturday in the Blue ... It was easy to get lost and disoriented in the mountainous terrain, Bull said ...

* Hunter rescued in Otago Blue Mountains shares his ordeal | Stuff.co.nz

www.stuff.co.nz/national/.../Hunter-rescued-in-Otago-Blue-Mountains-shares-his-ordeal
7 days ago - A hunter lost for two nights in the Otago Blue Mountains slept under a ... rest of his part on Saturday and wasn't found until Monday afternoon, ...