Three young men were rescued this morning after spending a cold, wet night stranded in a Wellington gorge while floating in river tubes.
Wellington District search and rescue coordinator Sergeant Jonathan Westrupp said the trio intended to float down the Hutt River in the Kaitoke Regional Park but that their planning was flawed.
They set out late on Monday, travelling down river on inner tubes wearing only light clothing.
The trio soon found themselves trapped in a gorge with impassable cliffs on both sides as darkness descended, and were initially without signal, police said.
Westrupp said they managed to get a sliver of cell phone reception and called for assistance about 7.30pm, with police coordinating an operation to rescue them as the weather worsened.
"A New Zealand Defence Force NH90 helicopter was sent, but it couldn’t get to them due to low cloud and rain setting in.
"Land Search and Rescue and Police reached the three men about three in the morning and provided them with shelter, clothing and food. At first light, with the aid of Wellington Rafting, we were able to get them out of there."
Westrupp said it was an "uncomfortably close call" for the three men.
"They were on the verge of not being able to contact anyone. If they hadn’t managed to find a scrap of cell phone coverage in the gorge it could have been a very different Christmas for them and their families.
"If you’re going out on an excursion in the bush, or adventuring on rivers like these guys, you need to be prepared for any eventuality. PLBs are cheap to hire, and they’re capable of saving your life, even when there’s no cell phone reception."
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