Author Archives: SWDminda

Search for the Dragonfly – November 2023

For 61 years, the whereabouts of New Zealand’s most famous lost aircraft has eluded searchers. Last weekend, a major exercise was launched to find the Dragonfly plane that disappeared carrying a honeymooning couple and three others. Mike White joined Wānaka’s … Continued

Operation Ada- April 2022

Wanaka Search and Rescue canyon/swift water team  Milford Sound area – April 28-31 – 2022 Mid-morning on Tuesday, April 29, Wanaka Search and Rescue canyon/swiftwater team coordinator Roy Bailey received a call from Wanaka Police asking him to place a … Continued

Gillespie Pass: 2015

20-year-old American student Ally Willen went missing after crossing the Gillespie Pass with two other young American female students in torrential rain, hail and gale force winds. Ally died – while making her way, alone, through flood water covering a section of the … Continued

New SAR base is completed

  A far cry from operating out of the Wanaka Police Station’s meeting room.  Grants and donations have enabled our volunteers to construct a SAR base building permanently set up with communications, specialist equipment, and state of the art Incident Management … Continued

LandSAR NZ Supreme Award

The LandSAR New Zealand national office has a series of annual awards honoring individual contributions. At the top of the tree is the “Supreme Award”. This is not necessarily presented annually, and requires extraordinary skills, commitment and circumstances.  Wanaka Search … Continued

Cascade Saddle: 2009

Auckland woman Irena Yun set out in January 2009 to tramp the tough 8-10 hour Cascade Saddle route from Aspiring Hut in the West Matukituki to the Dart Hut on the upper Dart River. Travelling alone, she rejected warnings that … Continued

High Country Rescue Documentary

The documentary “High Country Rescue was filmed on location over 3 years with the Wanaka LandSAR. This is a fantastic series and can be purchased from TVNZ Follow the New Zealand Police, and Search and Rescue volunteers as they brave the … Continued

Mountain Rescue – book by Phil Melchior

Mountain Rescue is written by Phil Melchior, a member of the Wanaka Search and Rescue team and can be purchased online. Thrilling tales of search and rescue in high-country New Zealand. Ill-equipped, underprepared, suffering from summit fever or just plain … Continued

Management & Police

The Police and Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre (for beacon activations) are the two statutory authorities for search and rescue in New Zealand. Our Incident Management Team works with them to coordinate, direct and manage search operations.