04/02/2026
Epic!
🔶Into the White Silence—a 34km rescue mission by Turangi Land SAR🔶
The call came in just after 22:24 on Wednesday, July 2nd, from our ever-enthusiastic chairman, Steve Signal.
“Looking for a team to head into Waipakihi Hut tonight to rescue a group of 8 down in the river valley, believed to have passed the hut.”
As the Signal app lit up with pings who was available, who wasn’t, and what body part Cillfy had broken this week, reality set in: this would be at least a 28 km return trip, with close to 2,000 vertical metres of climbing. And that was before we even reached the group’s actual location.
An excellent team quickly came together: Scotty, Caleb, Evan, Suzanne, and myself. The final briefing from Police confirmed the situation: the group was approximately 1.4km southwest of Waipakihi Hut. There were 8 of them, three hypothermic, one potentially unresponsive, all huddled together in a three-person tent. And of course, the weather had turned: rain, wind gusting across the ranges, and falling temperatures.
We started off just after midnight, aiming to reach the hut around 5:30am if all went to plan. The team split into two groups: a, “hasty” element heading directly to the party, and the, “second” contingent preparing the hut for the more ambulatory members of the party if they were still in bad shape.
In a stroke of genius, Scotty brought an umbrella. It worked brilliantly for a while, deflecting sideways rain and keeping his skin unnaturally youthful, until the wind snatched it from his hands. It was last seen en route for Taihape.
When the hasty team reached the group, it was like walking into a gear explosion. Packs and equipment were strewn across the forest floor. After silencing my inner Army Officer voice, I had to admire their commitment to total unpacking. It was almost an art form. But then they had pitched a tent in a water-filled depression.
We quickly assessed the group. Fortunately, aside from hurt pride, soaked clothing, and the realisation they’d bitten off more than they could chew, they were all okay and capable of walking.
The other half of the LandSAR team somehow found dry firewood in the middle of a deluge— miracle work, really. Once the group’s gear had been forcibly repacked into various group members’ packs, we began the short walk to the hut as dawn began filtering through the forest canopy. The signs of relief rose from the group; their long, cold, wet night was over.
At the hut, it was clear the weather wasn’t going to improve. My earlier “1% chance of helicopter support” rapidly dropped to 0%. After confirming worsening conditions with Steve and the OIC we laid out the state of affairs. They quickly decided that walking out with us that day, no matter how rough it might be, was far more appealing than waiting in the hut for a day or possibly more if the rain became heavier.
Caleb gave an excellent briefing on how to dress for the Umakarikari ridge walk, quickly followed by Evan and Scotty playing Santa Claus, dishing out dry, warm clothes, and soon we were underway. As we completed the short yet steep climb up toward the ridgeline— which, I have no doubt, felt to our party like the assault on Gallipoli— the wind picked up, growing stronger with every step upward. For the next four hours we crossed the ridge, fighting wind that threw us off balance and rain that hit like steel needles. It was unrelenting and more aggressive than Guido’s Italian hand gestures in a debate.
Eventually, we dropped below the bushline and finally found shelter from the wind. It was mostly downhill from there although still no cakewalk. For most of us, this marked 37–39 hours awake. (Except for Scotty, who had enjoyed a pizza, beer, and a two-hour nap before the callout.)
Outcome: Excellent.
Stats (via GPS):
Distance: 34.37 km
Elevation Gain: 2,953 metres
Time Awake: ~38 hours
A challenging rescue, a solid team, and ultimately, a successful result.
Thanks to Steve Signal, Turangi Land Search & Rescue's group chair, and Hadlee Cade for sharing this story with us.
