Chris Wood’s wife told him to set off his PLB three times before eventually he relented.
“It wasn’t a life-or-death situation, but I was in severe discomfort and my fellow tramper could barely stand. I now admit, my wife was right!” Chris says.
Chris and three friends were walking part of the Te Araroa trail. It’s a long-term project for these seasoned trampers, who twice a year complete a section of the trail.
Their December 2025 trip saw them starting at Morrisons Footbridge in Arthur’s Pass National Park, where their previous tramp had ended. They were making their way up the Deception River towards Goat Pass when Chris ran into trouble.
“The route up the Deception River has multiple river crossings – I think we crossed it 20 to 30 times. On one of those crossings I stepped onto a wet boulder, slipped, and fell forward.”
Chris’ head hit one rock, the left side of his chest hitting another.
“I immediately knew it wasn’t great – my chest was given a fair whack so I suspected I’d done some damage.”
Chris wasn’t the only one in the wars. Another member of the party had rolled his ankle and it was starting to swell.
“We were pretty sure nobody could reach us in the gorge we were in, so we stayed together as a group and kept walking to Goat Pass Hut. It wasn’t a comfortable walk, but we got there.”
Chris decided to rest and see how they felt in the morning. But when morning came, the injured men were no better.
“I was very uncomfortable. I knew walking out would be really difficult. Meanwhile, my friend’s ankle had blown up like a balloon.”
Chris had a personal locator beacon but also had the Starlink texting service.
“I texted my wife asking her to organise a private helicopter to come and pick us up. I didn’t want to bother the rescue helicopter service. My wife rang the police but they told her the same thing she’d told me – to set off my PLB. Eventually I listened!”
Chris activated his PLB and the two men then made their way to the helicopter landing spot above Goat Pass Hut.
“I was so pleased to see the Westpac Rescue Helicopter come over the ridgeline and land. We climbed right in.”
During the flight, Chris explained to Critical Care Paramedic Steve how his wife had convinced him to use his PLB.
“Steve said to me ‘don’t use it if you run out of jellybeans or you’re tired, but you’re injured and this is what we’re here for’.”
Chris and his friend were flown directly to Christchurch Hospital. Chris had broken four ribs, with three displaced. His friend had a badly sprained ankle and spent the next three weeks in a moon boot.
The accident hasn’t put Chris off enjoying the outdoors.
“We’re planning our next leg of the Te Araroa trail – we’ll knock it off slowly.
“In all my years of tramping I’d never had to use my personal locator beacon, but it’s reassuring to know when you push that button, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter is there. I can’t thank them enough!”
Photo above: Chris on the left, with his friend who suffered the ankle injury on the right.
