A tramper exhausted by chronic arthritis near Queenstown used an emergency beacon given to him by a stranger to summon help.
The man and a companion were tramping at Cattle Flat, near the Dart River, when he was discovered in a bad way by a Wellington couple tramping in the area yesterday afternoon.
Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) senior search and rescue officer Mike Roberts said the Wellington pair, concerned about the exhausted man's condition, gave him their emergency locator beacon before continuing their own tramp.
About 4pm, the exhausted man activated the beacon and he and his companion were collected by a helicopter from Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters in Queenstown, Mr Roberts said. He was assessed at the scene by a paramedic and flown back to his car, needing only "a good night's sleep and to put his feet up for a while, I think", Mr Roberts said.
"He wasn't in a kind of life-threatening state, but he'd obviously ... had enough, mostly as a result of his arthritis, we think."
It was not known how old the New Zealand man was, or where he was from.
The incident served as a warning for all trampers or groups to carry emergency locator beacons, and ensure they were registered, Mr Roberts said.
He was reluctant to criticise the man's decision to go tramping.
"We could say 'you tramp to your health' ... probably the Arthritis society [Arthritis New Zealand] would say 'no, it's wonderful, he should be out tramping'."
