The 38-year-old man injured his knee during a walk over Cone Saddle and had to crawl 600 metres through snow in search of a cellphone signal, The Dominion Post reported.
The Westpac rescue helicopter was sent and around 8.30pm spotted the man's head torch through the goggles.
"We can pick up a white light from kilometres away and it's an amazing safety enhancement," operational manager Dave Greenberg said.
Search and rescue head Senior Sergeant Murray Johnston said the man was well equipped for a day-tramp, but had not been prepared for a night in the open.
Te Papa chief executive Seddon Bennington and his tramping companion, Marcella Jackson, died of hypothermia in the same mountain range this month.
Dr Bennington, 61, and Mrs Jackson, 54, were found in the snow in the Tararua Ranges on July 15, four days after they went missing.
