Two trampers and two dogs have been winched out of a Canterbury valley after activating an alert beacon.
The trampers, who were overdue from a walk with their dogs in the Lees Valley area, activated the beacon at 5.30am on Friday, a Maritime New Zealand spokesperson said.
A helicopter was sent to investigate.
Two people and two dogs were winched due to rising waters in the Ashley River, meaning the pair and their dogs could not exit safely on foot.
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The trampers were trying to make their way to a nearby hut on Thursday for overnight shelter but were unable to access it due to rising river waters, Garden City Helicopters general manager Simon Duncan said.
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A bird’s eye view from the helicopter shows the trampers and their dogs took shelter underneath some trees.
They stayed underneath a tree overnight with the dogs and alerted their beacon in the morning, he said.
“There were no injuries, they were just cold and wet,” he said.
The pair took the right approach by seeking shelter and activating the beacon when they discovered the river was still too dangerous to cross, Duncan said.
“They didn’t try to cross the river. They did the right thing.”
