Senior Sergeant Paula Enoka, of Queenstown, said the men were found on Ben Lomond around 3am – after a six hour search.
She wasn’t able to confirm how they raised the alarm, how old they are or how many police or volunteers took part in the search.
“They started climbing yesterday morning and reached the summit. They left the summit about 1.45 in the afternoon taking the west ridge towards Fernhill.
“They got lost.”
She confirmed they were located by police on the Moke Lake side of the ridge.
It is the second operation on Ben Lomond within a week.
On Friday a Taiwanese national, who lives in Christchurch, was rescued from near the summit of Ben Lomond after her husband tracked her location with his smartphone.
Snr Sgt Enoka reminded people to take care if heading into the outdoors.
“It is something that increases as the weather warms up. People are going into these trails and some advice around that is make sure people know your plans, know when you are expected back and timeframes, that you are prepared in the event you get lost.”
