6 Jul 2015

Lost? Who're you gonna call?

11:47 am on 6 July 2015

Police in Waikato say a woman who used social media to seek rescue from Mount Te Aroha could have been saved sooner had she called them first.

Woman hiker.

A woman lost after straying from a track used Facebook to call for help. Photo: 123RF

The 41-year-old woman sent a Facebook message to family members yesterday afternoon telling them she was lost after straying from the main track.

Her family contacted police, who sent in a rescue team, pinning down her location using new phone-tracking technology.

She was found just after 8pm in a stream 200 metres from the Wairongomai car park, wearing only light clothing and jeans.

Sergeant Dave Raffan says rescue efforts could have been faster had the woman called them first.

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