West Coast Tragedy: One Tramper Dead, Another Rescued After Beacon Activated Near Klondyke Rahu Saddle

Written by: Swikblog News Desk

One tramper has died and another has been rescued after a personal locator beacon (PLB) was activated during a tramping trip on the West Coast, triggering a search and rescue operation in remote New Zealand bush.

Police said they were notified at around 6.30pm on Friday that a PLB had been activated near the Klondyke Rahu Saddle in Victoria Forest Park, on the West Coast of the South Island. The alarm prompted an immediate response from Police Search and Rescue teams, supported by specialist backcountry personnel.

According to initial reports carried by the New Zealand Herald and 1News , search crews reached the location of the beacon and found two people — one tramper who was alive, and another who had died at the scene.

Weather conditions in the area were described as challenging, with low cloud and unsettled conditions affecting air operations. As a result, the recovery of the body was delayed until Saturday, when a helicopter could safely access the site and transport the deceased out of the backcountry.

In a brief statement, police confirmed that the death has been referred to the Coroner. They added that support is being provided to the other member of the tramping party and next of kin, as the surviving tramper and the family of the deceased come to terms with the tragedy.

Remote, Rugged and Unforgiving: Klondyke Rahu Saddle

Klondyke Rahu Saddle sits within the vast expanse of Victoria Forest Park, one of New Zealand’s lesser-known yet demanding backcountry regions. The area features steep, forested spurs, narrow saddles and exposed ridgelines where the weather can turn quickly from clear skies to rain, low cloud and strong winds. Mobile phone coverage is limited or non-existent, meaning trampers often rely on personal locator beacons as their only lifeline in an emergency.

While large-scale incidents are relatively rare, the wider Klondyke and Rahu area has seen multiple Search and Rescue (SAR) callouts over the years involving overdue trampers, navigation errors, suspected hypothermia and injuries on slippery or rugged terrain. Each operation is a reminder that even experienced walkers can get into difficulty in New Zealand’s backcountry, particularly when weather conditions deteriorate or tracks become less defined.

Authorities and outdoor groups regularly urge trampers heading into regions like Victoria Forest Park to carry PLBs, leave clear intentions with a trusted contact, and be prepared to turn back if conditions change. This latest death near Klondyke Rahu Saddle will likely renew calls for extra caution on multi-day trips in remote parts of the South Island.

PLBs and Backcountry Safety

Personal locator beacons have become a crucial safety tool across New Zealand’s outdoors. When activated, they send a distress signal and GPS coordinates to the Rescue Coordination Centre, allowing teams to quickly identify the general area where a party is in trouble. In many recent cases, PLBs have been credited with saving lives in situations where trampers were injured, caught out by weather or stranded by rising rivers.

However, as this tragic West Coast case shows, even rapid deployment of SAR resources cannot always prevent a fatal outcome. Investigators and the Coroner will now work to establish what happened in the hours before the beacon was triggered and whether weather, gear, injury, health or other factors played a role.

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Together, these cases underline how quickly ordinary days can turn into life-changing emergencies, whether in the quiet streets of a neighbourhood or the remote valleys and saddles of New Zealand’s backcountry.