Emergency beacon found

An emergency locator beacon detected in the Hollyford Valley yesterday has been found.


Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) has been coordinating the search for the source of the beacon, which was found in a lost backpack in the Hollyford River near the Hollyford Track, about 20km north east of Milford Sound, around 10.30am today.


The owner of the backpack reported losing it in late February, and had nothing to do with the beacon’s activation, which was detected about 1pm yesterday. It is not known what may have caused the beacon to activate, though movement of the backpack in the river may have caused it to accidentally switch on.


Search and Rescue crews from Southern Lakes Helicopters in Te Anau and from Otago Helicopters in Dunedin were involved in the search, as were staff from Dunedin’s Radio Spectrum Management, who assisted with providing specialist beacon direction finding equipment and expertise. Te Anau Police and the Department of Conservation also assisted RCCNZ in the search effort.


The incident is now closed.