A female tourist survived in a remote hut in New Zealand for a month after her partner fell to his death while hiking, according to local police.
The young couple, who started their hike on July 26, weren’t reported missing until Wednesday, when a search and rescue team dispatched to find them discovered the woman living in a warden’s cabin at the Mackenzie huts.
In a case described by police as “unusual,” the woman said she had been sheltering in the New Zealand Department of Conservation’s building since early August, making signs in the snow asking for help.
Her partner wasn’t so lucky — he fell down a steep slope on July 28, four days after they entered the trail, according to the woman, and died a short time later despite her efforts.
Tourists were from Czech Republic
The missing couple, both tourists from the Czech Republic, began to hike the popular Routeburn Track on New Zealand’s south island one month before they were reported missing by the Czech Embassy.
“This is a highly unusual case,” New Zealand’s Otago Lakes Central Area Commander Inspector Olaf Jensen said.
“It’s very unusual for someone to be missing in the New Zealand bush for such a long period without it being reported.”
It wasn’t clear why it took so long for anyone to notice the couple were missing.
“I appreciate there are a number of unanswered questions, however, until we can piece together exactly what has happened we are unable to say anything further,” Jensen said.
Police said the woman was in good health but shaken by these events and they would be speaking to her later on Thursday. The couple had been in New Zealand since January.
Rare deaths on remote track
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, who owned the warden’s hut, said there significant hazards walking the Routeburn Track in winter. During a press conference on Thursday, police said the snow had been deep when the couple went missing.
“Huts on the track are open but wardens’ quarters are locked. Huts are not regularly checked during the off season,” Department of Conservation’s Wakatipu operations manager Geoff Owen said in a statement.
Deaths on New Zealand’s hiking trails are very rare, New Zealand Mountain Safety Council spokesman told CNN, with an average of six people dying every year.
“To give you an understanding, annual participation in tramping is a little over 321,000 local people (on average), while for international visitors it’s close to 447,000 per annum,” he said.
The spokesman said the Routeburn Track could be a difficult track to hike during the winter months.