A woman and 9-year-old girl were found in the early hours of this morning after spending the night in a remote forest.
The pair went missing on Sunday afternoon and were last seen about 2pm in the Waitomo region.
Police said search and rescue staff were hunting for the pair in the Pureora Forest Park overnight.
They were found just minutes before 5.30am, Inspector Cornell Kluessein said.
"They were last seen at 2 o'clock and found about a minute before [5.30am]," he said.
The 51-year-old South African woman was with a 9-year-old South African girl and two dogs - a poodle and a jack russell.
They were unlikely to be prepared to stay overnight in the bush, police said.
But after spending a cold night in the foggy bush, the two walkers were found in good condition, police said.
