A young couple and a baby stranded in the Canterbury foothills by a swollen river have walked out of the bush to safety.
Police in Christchurch were considering sending a helicopter to retrieve the family holed up in a hut near Flockhill Station following the rapid rise of the Broken River on Tuesday.
As the helicopter was being prepared, police say they were informed that the family had walked out to the nearest road and was being taken home by friends.
Police say the family is safe and well.
