Flooding ordeal: two days clinging to rock

An elderly Auckland man who survived a Fiordland flood by clinging to a rock for almost two days says he was never frightened, but was concerned about how he could get to safety.

Lifelong tramper and retired financial adviser David Guise (72) was in high spirits and recuperating in a private Te Anau residence last night, after being winched to safety by Southern Lakes Helicopters about 10am yesterday.

Riverton-born Mr Guise said he had planned to walk solo through the Cameron Mountains area, southwest of Te Anau, in about eight days.

On Saturday night, at 6pm, he set up his bivvy about 40m from a small stream to sit out the two days of heavy rain he knew, via his satellite-phone, was forecast.

About two hours later, he felt water lapping around his feet and realised his bivouac sack was afloat.

"I thought, get up and go, because there'll be more water coming than that.

"It was just black. I couldn't see anything.

"I grabbed what was left of my stuff and my pack, one boot and my bivvy sack [as] protection from the weather, and scrambled up."

Mr Guise said the water rose 1m in the time it took him to prepare to leave.

Rocks he intended to reach for refuge, soon became submerged.

He walked through water above his knees to where he knew there was a tree and where he hoped the water was shallower, about 10m away.

He kept his head warm and dry with the bivvy sack.

"I had no idea how long it was going to keep rising.

"I stood there from about 10pm to 10am ... with the water slowing inching up.

"It was a rather nervous night.

"I was lucky it didn't go higher ... I couldn't see to do anything.

"I had to stay put."

Mr Guise said he was able to get two three-second bursts of reception on his sat-phone and attempted to ask his wife to call for help but, with heavy bush cover, the link failed.

When the water started to rise again on Sunday morning, Mr Guise headed for what looked like solid ground, 20m away.

He tested the water to see how deep it was, plunged in and could not feel the ground with his feet.

"The water in the forest was about 20m deep ...

"I had never seen anything like this. I was swimming through a bloody forest."

Mr Guise swam to another rock 40m away and used his bivvy and bag to stay afloat.

He dragged himself and the waterlogged bags up the 1m wide by 2m long rock, which had become an island on the edge of the forest.

Mr Guise wedged himself in on its surface, so he would not fall into the water in his sleep, and used the bivvy to shelter his head again.

He survived throughout the rest of Sunday and a further night by eating nuts and chocolate.

He caught mouthfuls of rain to drink using a plastic bag.

Mr Guise had left his GPS device and provisions behind and began to feel he was in "deep trouble" but he was able to use his thumbnails to get into the broken beacon he had kept and eventually fixed it.

Southern Lakes Helicopters were activated by the Southern Rescue Centre, about 9.30am.

The beacon alert took a three-man crew in a helicopter to a tributary off the Longburn River and rescued him.

"The cavalry's arrived and thank God.

"It's about time," Mr Guise said he thought when he heard the rotors.

"They were extremely professional and very courteous, great guys."

When asked if there were times when he wondered if he would survive, Mr Guise said: "It's a reasonable thing to think that.

"I guess I always thought I'd get out, but I didn't know how."