A view of Mt Peel from Little Mt Peel in Canterbury's Peel Forest Park Scenic Reserve. A man went missing yesterday after going tramping with two other family members in the area. Photo: Creative Commons image by Tainter
A man who went missing yesterday along a popular walking spot in South Canterbury has been found safe and well.
A 29-year-old man named Shaun had been tramping with two other family members at Little Mount Peel near Peel Forest. At about 1.30pm, halfway along the walkers' intended route, the man opted not to push on and told his companions he would return to the car.
However when the other two people in the group later returned to the vehicle, there was no sign Shaun had made it back. They walked to a nearby property and alerted police at 6.30pm.
Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker said an organised search effort began in the early evening yesterday and continued until 4am today.
Shaun was then located by a volunteer search team shortly before 10am today.
He was airlifted out and taken to the Peel Forest Fire Station to be assessed by an ambulance crew as a precaution.
Walker said temperatures in the area had dropped to 5 degrees Celsius overnight, so it would have been an uncomfortable night.