Utah man survives being lost 9 days in New Zealand park

Utah man survives being lost 9 days in New Zealand park

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QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand — A Utah man was lost for nine days in the wilderness of New Zealand before being found by a helicopter pilot.

Mark Deaker, a helicopter pilot, rescued David Tamowski, 55, on Thursday after Tamowski was lost for nine days after fog pushed him off course. He was last seen April 7 as he began a backcountry hike in Mt. Aspiring National Park in New Zealand.

His wife reported him missing April 14, after he missed a scheduled flight.

Tamowski spent nine days wandering after initially planning for a three-day outing. The police there said he was mostly prepared, but he didn't have the one piece of equipment that would have helped the most, an emergency locator beacon, according to Sky News in New Zealand.

Deaker talked to the Southland Times in New Zealand about finding Tamowski waving near a riverbed.


I landed there before I knew he had been overdue. I sort of got the impression he was reasonably happy if I just contacted his wife. He just didn't seem to have a great sense of where he was.

–Mark Deaker


"I was just crossing the valley and happened to cross right over him," Deaker said to the Times. "It's not unusual to see people out. This guy, he was pretty much waving to get my attention. I don't normally drop down. I was actually quite high. I was going from mountain top to mountain top. He was on my side of the aircraft. He kept waving and he'd apparently marked an 'X' in the sand but I didn't see that. His camping gear was spread out in the open."

According to the Southland Times, Deaker didn't know a search and rescue operation was going on. He initially just said Tamowski should keep hiking while Deaker relayed a message to his wife, until he found out how long Tamowski had been gone.

"He was in good spirits. He was fit and he was well but that wasn't going to last," Deaker told the Times. "I landed there before I knew he had been overdue. I sort of got the impression he was reasonably happy if I just contacted his wife. He just didn't seem to have a great sense of where he was."

Tamowski originally stayed where he was for a few days after losing the trail. He then traveled to a higher peak to try to figure out where he was and try to make it back to a town, according to Steve Watt, acting sergeant.

The hiker was trying to navigate the "Three passes," the Times noted, which is a rugged route for experienced hikers. The route has no real markings and hikers need to camp and navigate using their own survival skills. He lost his topographical map before he got lost.

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