A man sheltered in a self-made snow cave after he became lost while tramping in the Rock and Pillar Range, near Middlemarch.
Senior Sergeant Steve Aitken, of Dunedin, said the 24-year-old was found on Wednesday evening after spending more than 24 hours in freezing conditions on the range, 10km north of Middlemarch. He was suffering from mild hypothermia.
Snr Sgt Aitken said the man set out on Tuesday afternoon but did not reach the hut he was intending to stay in. His mother called emergency services about 4pm on Wednesday and a search and rescue operation began.
The man was found a few hours later. He was carrying an emergency locator beacon and a cellphone, Snr Sgt Aitken said.
Police contacted him on the phone and asked him to activate the beacon.
A police car was parked nearby with its lights flashing to help the man locate the rescue team.
A helicopter was not able to be used because of poor weather.
Police urged trampers to exercise common sense.
''While he had the right equipment and probably did the right things, we would recommend that people check the weather forecast and the conditions for the area they're going into, so that they're not putting themselves at risk.''
The man did not want to talk to media.
