A father and his two children lost in rugged Northland bush in wild weather for two days built their own shelter and survived on chocolate and berries.
The 40-year-old man, his 13-year-old daughter and six-year-old son, were found safe and well about 2.30pm, having gone into the bush on Friday morning prepared for a day walk.
The group were in the Omahuta Forest, part of the Mangamuka Ranges, about 40km south-east of Kaitaia.
Police were alerted on Saturday evening that they were overdue, Far North area commander Inspector Chris Scahill said.
Their vehicle had been located on Blackbridge Road, he said.
The three, who had gone pig-hunting, survived by building bivouacs for shelter, and eating berries and the little chocolate they had taken with them, TV3 reported.
"Excellent result given the weather conditions we've had in the last three days -- certainly searchers were fearing for the worst and this result's just come out of the blue," Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe said.
Search and rescue members from the wider Northland squad began searching at first light this morning, with 30 members in five teams being taken into the area by an army Unimog.
A search base had been set up at a local marae.
