Lost hikers found alive 18 days after vanishing in foggy forest

Two hikers who got lost in a forest covered in fog have miraculously been found alive 18 days later with only minor injuries.

Jessica O’Connor and Dion Reynolds, both 23, hiked into the sprawling Kahurangi National Park on New Zealand’s South Island on May 9, intending to be gone for just five days.

But they became lost in fog within the first few days and soon ran out of food, police said.

The pair decided to stay put and were eventually rescued by a military helicopter when crews spotted smoke from a fire they had lit.

‘This is a fantastic outcome and one that we were all hoping for, although we were becoming increasingly concerned as the days progressed,’ police chief Paul Borrell said.

The pair’s disappearance sparked a huge rescue operation, including five tracking experts, three dog teams and two helicopter crews.

Police said the search was difficult because the area is so remote, rugged and densely forested.

Bad weather earlier this week had hampered the search and raised more concerns about the pair’s safety.

St John ambulance spokesperson Ngaire Jones said the hikers were brought by helicopter to Nelson Airport where medics found they only had minor injuries. They were then taken to Nelson Hospital, Jones said.

Police said their condition seemed very good considering their long ordeal.

Another hiker, Heather Simpson, earlier told NZ news organisation Stuff that the pair had stopped at her campsite as they set out before continuing to hike alongside a river.

She said they had seemed in good spirits and excited to go on an adventure together.

Simpson said the hikers were young, fit and experienced in the wilderness, according to Stuff.

She said the hikers told her they had enough food to last several days and they planned to ration it so it would last as long as possible.

At more than 450,000 hectares (1.1 million acres), Kahurangi is New Zealand’s second-largest national park, and some areas have no trails.

It was used as one of the locations in the The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

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