My brother and I were on Day 6 of the Northwest Circuit of Stewart Island. Our journey began at Oban, with the first night spent at the Port William Hut. On the day of the rescue, we were heading to East Ruggedy Hut from Long Harry Hut.

We were traversing the last stony beach before leaving the coast to head to East Ruggedy Hut, more than halfway through the day, when the rain that had been threatening finally started. Being exposed on the beach, we also began to feel the wind.

As we started to move faster along the beach, using a hiking pole each for stability, my brother saw me disappear over a line of boulders on the beach. About two minutes later, he found me lying face down in the rocks. I recall waking up with my head jammed between two boulders, bleeding from the scalp and temple, with a hole in my trousers.

After getting up from the fall, given the level of exposure to the elements, we decided to try and get off the beach to find more shelter. I struggled to get off the beach, with pain in my head and increasing dizziness and fatigue. My brother and I managed to walk another 2 kilometers before ending up on a ridgeline with some low bushes to rest, providing some protection from the elements.

As my condition worsened, my brother grabbed my ResQLink 400 PLB attached to the front of my pack (as seen in the photos) and activated it, preventing further harm.

It was about a 1.5-2 hour wait for the helicopter to arrive, and we weren’t sure if it was coming. My brother became increasingly stressed and worried the longer we waited. The plan was to wait about 2 hours, and if no help arrived, we would try to push on to the hut.

In the meantime, we used our emergency survival shelter and emergency blanket to stay warm (always be prepared), making sure the beacon was outside the blankets and shelter to ensure a clear signal.

Once the helicopter arrived, a rescuer was winched down in difficult conditions (very windy) to assess us both. We were each individually winched up, followed by our gear, and flown to Invercargill for assessment.

Thank you to all who run the Search and Rescue Service in New Zealand for your effort.