A military helicopter rescued them on Wednesday after a huge search operation.
Two New Zealand hikers survived 19 days in a rugged national park home to the location of the “Mines of Moria” in Lord of the Rings movies, drinking water from puddles to stay alive, they declared Thursday.
Dion Reynolds and Jessica O’Connor, both 23, went on a five-day camping trip to Kahurangi National Park on the South Island on May 8, but became disoriented by heavy fog.
A military helicopter rescued them Wednesday after a huge search operation in the region, which was the filming location of Frodo and the escape of the Fellowship of the sinister Mines of Moria in Peter Jackson’s blockbuster films, Lord of the Rings.
The couple suffered only minor injuries during the falls while desperately searching for water, Reynolds wringing his ankle and O’Connor snatching his back.
Reynolds said that they got lost in the fog that lasted three days and that they boiled water from a “small rocky puddle” to drink as their food supplies dwindled.
“We were very lost at this point,” he told Radio New Zealand, saying that they had finally decided to camp and “wait for our injuries.”
“It was 13 days without food, but the saving grace was that a two-minute walk across the ravine was a fresh mossy stream that was nice and clean for us to drink – that’s what kept us going.”
He said that a helicopter flew within 50 meters (55 meters) at one time but failed to locate them, which prompted the pair to light a fire to report to future researchers.
The tactic paid off about a week later, when another helicopter saw and found the smoke column.
Reynolds said he and O’Connor, two experienced hikers, had never given up hope, although he admitted that at times during the test it was difficult to remain optimistic.
“It was a surreal experience, trying to stay positive and keep hoping,” he said.
“Jess and I woke up in the morning and said ‘if it’s not today (rescue), it’s tomorrow’, we get up and make sure none of us are going to break down.”
He said that one of the helicopter crew members gave him a snack as they left the desert, describing it as “the best chocolate bar I have ever had in my life”.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)