LOST HUNTERS RETURN
Story Of Ordeal In Bush (New Zealand Press Association) NEW PLYMOUTH, April 30. Found after probably the largest search of its kind yet organised in New Zealand, and certainly conducted over the worst country of any search, Messrs Ronald George Cotuwall and William Heaslip arrived at an advanced search base south of Kohuratahi this afternoon. Both deerstalkers looked fit in spite of their nine days in the bush. They were taken by Armyvehicles to the farm of Messrs Bunn brothers at Tokirima, 114 miles up river from Wanganui. •We were definitely lost on Easter Saturday.” they said. This was the day after they went into the bush. It had been agreed that they should meet the other mem bers of their party on the Monday. “We knew that parties were out for us after last Thursday—when we saw the Air Force plane,” said Mr Heaslip. They waved and made signals. “But we were on the ridge above the Heao river, and he must have been watching and following it,” Mr Heaslip said, “and he did not see us.” Ate Raw Eels Matches ran out after the third day .and the men shot and ate raw eels and wild pig. “Altogether we must have shot about 15 pigs—but of course we didn’t eat all of them or even any of some of them,” Mr Heaslip said. At first they tried to go northeast over the ridges back to the Bunns’ farm, “but the sun didn’t come out for long enough to let us get far enough, and we had no compass.” he said. They made their food last as long as possible, but it was all eaten last Wednesday, and next day they struck heavy rain, which soaked them before they gave up trying to go north-east over the ridges, and made camp for the night. They decided then to go down the Heao. But this river deceived them. “It was flowing from right to left.” Mr Heaslip said, “and was wider and dirtier than the stream which we had known was the Heao. and which flowed from le't to right.” Consequently, they did not think it was the Heao river, but possibly the Tangarakau. Impassable Ridges However, they followed it to a section of high bluffs and impassable ridges—probably near the falls. Because they could not go further south-east, they made a more permanent camp and waited for better weather or for searchers to find them. That nearly happened on Sunday night. Even as the recall signal reached party No. 6, of the Taranaki organisation, they had fired shots which were heard by the missing men. “We fired shots back.” said Mr Heaslip. “We heard voices, but it was dark, and we waited until morning before moving, only to find that the party had gone. We never knew that we were within one day’s march of the Wanganui river.” Last evening, near dark, they heard the Wanganui party which found them.
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Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28265, 1 May 1957, Page 7
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494LOST HUNTERS RETURN Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28265, 1 May 1957, Page 7
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