A 74-year-old woman who did not return from her regular afternoon walk was found hypothermic in a steep gully above her Nelson retirement village on Wednesday and carried out by search crews.
Police were alerted around nightfall on one of the coldest nights of the year, and began area checks while a police search and rescue dog team was called in from Blenheim to work alongside Land Search and Rescue Nelson volunteers.
Teams concentrated on a steep gully of grass and native bush directly above the village, finding the woman about 8.30pm near the bush edge in difficult terrain.
She had been exposed to the cold for several hours and was showing signs of hypothermia, though she was not seriously injured, police said.
Volunteers carried her out of the gully on a stretcher before St John staff took her to hospital. She has since been discharged and is recovering at home with support from village staff and family.
Detective Jonathan Evans said the cold and the darkness had made the search urgent.
"The combined effort of police staff, Land Search and Rescue volunteers and Hato Hone St John meant she was quickly located, safely recovered from challenging terrain, and provided with the medical attention she needed," he said, adding the response had ultimately saved her life.
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