The pair failed to return from a hunting trip in the Raukumara Ranges. Photo / DoC
A search and rescue operation is underway for two hunters who have been reported missing in the Raukumara Forest Park on the East Coast.
Police were notified shortly after 11am on Monday that two people were overdue from a hunting trip inside the forest.
A police spokesperson said a search and rescue team along with the police’s Eagle helicopter, had searched the area but were yet to find the pair.
The search has been suspended for the night and the spokesperson said it will resume on Tuesday.
According to the Department of Conservation’s website, Raukumara Forest Park is one of the “least developed or visited” tracts of bush in the North Island.
It described the land as being “steep and unforgiving”, covering 115,000 hectares of extremely remote, bush-clad land.
The Raukumara Ranges are on the East Coast of the North Island. Map / Google
“Hunters should be experienced, fit and capable in the outdoors and be prepared for sudden weather changes including rapidly rising water levels in rivers and streams.”
There were no marked tracks within the park and which had three back country huts scattered within it.
Deer, pigs, feral cattle and goats could be hunted within the park.
