A group of Southlanders who spent most of the night in their vehicle after getting stuck on the Nevis road were 'cold but well' when found by searchers this morning.
The group, a 19-year-old female driver and four male passengers, were located by a Central Otago LandSAR crew about 4.15am, Senior Sergeant Dave Scott of the Southern District Command Centre said.
The group was travelling from Cromwell to Invercargill in a two-wheel-drive vehicle, which was unsuitable to use on the high country road.
''The Nevis is a difficult road at the best of times, let alone when the creeks are overflowing with snow melt and there's still lots of snow around,'' he said.
The group had no food and had relied on a cellphone for contact, but there was no cellphone reception in the area, Snr Sgt Scott said.
On the positive side, the group was carrying blankets and a tent and had told someone of their travel plans. That person had raised the alarm with
police last night at 6.20pm, when the group failed to arrive in Invercargill, he said.
''So they did some things right, like staying with the vehicle, carrying blankets and having someone to raise the alarm when they didn't turn up, but they weren't prepared properly for a trip into remote country like the Nevis. They shouldn't have set out on such a road in a two-wheel-drive and they should've carried some food -- it's best to be prepared in case the weather turns bad and you get caught out.''
The group was taken to Cromwell by their rescuers. None of them required medical treatment, Snr Sgt Scott said.
