Three trampers were airlifted to safety after becoming stuck on a remote track in Mt Aspiring National Park yesterday.
A spokesman for the Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said a beacon was activated about 1.30pm on the Rabbit Pass track, between the Wilkin and East Matukituki Valleys.
The beacon was traced to a single male tramper and a helicopter arrived at the scene about 4pm to find three trampers who had become stuck, he said.
The single tramper had met a separate party of two and "all three of them ended up stuck in some pretty difficult terrain and decided that it was better to not go forward or backwards and instead be airlifted out".
Asked if the trampers did the right thing by activating the beacon, he said: "If people end up in a situation that is beyond their experience and it’s dangerous then they are probably better off getting help than risking themselves and getting into trouble."
The man who activated the beacon was flown to Wanaka and the other two were dropped off a nearby valley to continue tramping.
Following New Zealand policy they were not charged for the helicopter ride, as the spokesman said the "last thing" authorities wanted was for people not to set off beacons because they were worried about the cost.
Aspiring Guides senior guide Whitney Thurlow said Rabbit Pass was a "pretty uncompromising route" and unless trampers were with a guided party they required mountaineering skills.
"It’s very steep terrain and difficult to know exactly where to go, so quite easy to get into trouble," Mr Thurlow said.
Doc did a good job of warning people it was not a "typical tramping track".
Last December, Alaskan tramper Nicole Leman (24) died after falling about 300m while climbing the dangerous waterfall face on the north side of Rabbit Pass.
● A 40-year-old man was flown by helicopter to Southland Hospital in Invercargill yesterday with minor injuries after getting into trouble in Stewart Island.
The RCCNZ spokesman said the alarm was raised after an Auckland couple who came across the man set off their emergency beacon.
