Geoff Spearpoint is an expert when it comes to traversing New Zealand’s back country. He wrote the book on it – literally.
So, when one of his tramping party started feeling unwell, Geoff knew enough to trust his judgement.
“You have to take notice of people, listen, and do something about it. And that’s what we did,” Geoff says.
Geoff was leading a party of nine on a nine-day hike through the Canterbury-Westland Alps. They had walked up the Wanganui River, down into the Ramsay Glacier, then crossed over the Whitcombe Pass to Neave Hut.
“We were all feeling the pressure of several days in the hills – we were knackered, but fine. Then after the night at Neave Hut Gary told me he was having symptoms like he could be having a heart attack. He was worried,” Geoff says.
Gary Huish had tramped with Geoff before. He’d also had a heart attack before, and the symptoms he was experiencing were the same ones he felt before that event, three years prior.
“I wasn’t dramatically clutching my chest or anything, but it was this heavy feeling in my chest like indigestion. I spent a fairly restless night before telling the guys how I felt. I just didn’t want to take a chance with it,” Gary says.
The party had a Garmin inReach, a satellite communicator with GPS tracking, as well as a personal locator beacon, or PLB. They set off the PLB and waited.
“I knew that rescue services are reasonably quick but I was surprised by just how quickly the rescue helicopter arrived – it was impressive,” Geoff says.
With dense bush surrounding the hut, landing nearby was not possible. The pilot hovered the helicopter over a rock so Critical Care Paramedic Rod could get out to assess Gary. The pilot then flew to a staging area nearby and waited for the call to return.
After assessing Gary, Rod thought it best to get him to hospital. Rod also assessed another member of the tramping party who had sore ribs and it was decided to take her out as well.
The rescue helicopter returned and both patients were winched out, along with Rod, and taken to Greymouth Hospital.
Thankfully, Gary was given the all-clear from Greymouth Hospital while his fellow tramper was treated for damaged ribs.
While Gary isn’t hanging his tramping boots up yet, he’s not sure if his wife will let him go on one of their more adventurous trips again.
“I think for our next trip we’ll set up a base camp and then do day trips for the week – I hope it will be a lot less dramatic.”
For Geoff, it was the first time he had used a PLB for someone in his tramping party.
“While Starlink cellphones and devices such as the Garmin inReach are good, a PLB is still the gold standard. I take my PLB on every trip I go on – even if it’s just a day trip.”
Geoff has spent his life exploring the great outdoors and has written numerous books about tramping and New Zealand’s backcountry hut network. His latest book, The Great Unknown, chronicles his five-decade journey through the Southern Alps.
He says he’s in awe of the rescue helicopter service.
“When we set off on that trip, we had no reason to think anything might go wrong, but these things happen. At the end of the day, we want to get everyone home safe and sometimes that means calling for help – and the help we received from the rescue helicopter that day was incredible,” Geoff says.
It’s a sentiment Gary echoes.
“Nothing seemed to bother the crew, even when they ended up with two patients. They were just so professional and helpful; the rescue helicopter is certainly a very impressive service and I’m so grateful it was there for me.”
