Many high places in New Zealand have had heavy snow falls in the last few days. Roads over mountain passes in the South Island and the Desert Road in the North Island have been closed. And there has been more snow on mountains. This should make skiers happy but many ski fields have been closed because of the snow.
At this time of year, snow is heavier and contains more water. It is less stable and can easily slip down a slope causing an avalanche. Police warned people this weekend to be aware of avalanche danger if they climb in mountainous areas.
A team of 6 Australians was rescued from the Mt Cook area on Saturday morning. They had been climbing for five days when a blizzard struck. Although they were only around 450m from a hut, they couldn’t move because the snow was so deep and they couldn’t see where they were going. They put up their tent but it kept getting covered in snow so they took it in turns to go out, take the snow off the tent and get back inside where it was warmer. They could hear small avalanches so it was not safe to move.
The Australians set off an emergency beacon on Thursday afternoon and the Search and Rescue headquarters at Mt Cook Village received the signal. Search and Rescue tried to send a helicopter to the area but the weather was too bad. The next day, there was a break in the weather so a plane searched for the missing people but did not find them: their tent was white and the snow around was white so it was not easy to see them. On Saturday, the weather had improved a little so Search and Rescue could send a helicopter but they were worried that the helicopter blades would start an avalanche. Fortunately, this didn’t happen. The Australians were rescued after waving a yellow flag to show where they were. They were cold, wet and hungry but very happy to see Mt Cook Village again. |