A Czech tourist spent a month waiting inside a remote hut in New Zealand after her partner fell to his death during a hiking expedition.
The two backpackers were reported overdue on Wednesday from their trek along the Routeburn Track on New Zealand’s South Island.
After their abandoned car was located in the snow a police helicopter found the woman yesterday inside a warden’s hut near Lake Mackenzie, where she had taken shelter after her partner’s death in early August.
The woman reportedly found the man after he fell down a deep slope and stayed with him for a number of nights before venturing into a hut.
Unable to get the radio in the hut to work, the woman made an “H” in the snow to attract help, the New Zealand Herald reported.
The Herald understands the woman was interviewed by police for five hours in the hospital last night. She is being assisted by a translator.
Police believe her partner fell about 1.25 miles from the hut and are now searching for his body.
“She managed to reach him. However, it’s believed he died not long after,” police Inspector Olaf Jensen said.
“She then made her way to a hut where she has been since early August.”
“The woman was taken to hospital for assessment and thankfully is in good health, although she is understandably upset by these events.”
Insp Jensen said it was “very unusual for someone to be missing in the New Zealand bush for such a long period without it being reported”.
The woman was said to be “ecstatic” after she was found and in general good health, although distressed by the tragedy.
The Czech couple, both aged in their late 20s or early 30s, were in New Zealand since January for a travel and working holiday, the Herald reported.
Both had hiking experience and were well-equipped for their trek, but didn’t tell many people they were going, police said.
It is understood they weren’t carrying a locator beacon.
Search crews are now focusing on finding the man’s body while police try to trace the movements of the pair.
A helicopter takes you through the area around the Routeburn Track
Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club spokesman Ian Sime told the Herald that the woman would have been warm and had access to food inside the warden’s hut.
“If she was in the warden’s hut she would have been okay,” he said.
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation said only experienced hikers should attempt the 20-mile trek in winter.
The Mountain Safety Council said it was working with local authorities to figure out what had happened.
“Even the most experienced [hikers] have accidents. Unfortunately, a moment’s complacency can sometimes have fatal consequences,” the council said in a statement.
New Zealand is a destination for backpackers from the Czech Republic. This year, more than 30,000 Czech citizens vied for the 1200 12-month travel visas to New Zealand allocated each year.
One of the successful applicants, Martin Fucik, 33, told the Herald that news of the tragedy would be widely reported in the Czech Republic.
“The big attraction is the outdoors. It’s very famous now in my country,” he said.
“We have small mountains and many Czechs like looking for adventure.”
Ultimate Hikes general manager Noel Saxon said there was likely to be a lot of snow at this time of the year and markers would be covered, making hiking expeditions difficult.
Dunedin hiker Barry Walker, who was on the Routeburn Track last weekend, said conditions on the track were “pretty bad.”
“The snow was basically [three feet] high…I’m not at all surprised that she was caught there,” he told the Herald.
“She was basically trapped between two high points of snow a metre deep, and she did the right thing by staying there.”