Aussie tramper feared the worst while lost on NZ mountain

AN AUSTRALIAN man has revealed he thought he was going to die after he became lost and stranded on a mountain in New Zealand.

Australian man Robert Galdamez was missing for 30 hours in snowy conditions on a New Zealand mountain.

AN AUSTRALIAN tourist has managed to survive two freezing nights lost in the New Zealand bush thinking he was going to die.

Melbourne man Robert Galdamez, 22, became lost during a tramping expedition on Ben Lomond mountain near Queenstown on Tuesday night.

He said he walked to the summit of the mountain, about 1750m above sea level, when he “kind of lost track” of where he was and became stranded with little food and water. He had only originally set out for a day trip and was not prepared to stay the night, the New Zealand Herald reported.

As his family in Melbourne spent 30 frantic hours fearing the worst, the lost tramper drank from waterfalls and ate snow in a desperate bid to stay hydrated.

He was eventually rescued from the near the summit of Ben Lomond early Friday morning suffering mild hypothermia.

From his bed at Queenstown’s Lake District Hospital, Galdamez said he didn’t think he was going to make it out of the wild and rainy wilderness alive.

He said he went in the wrong direction after initially reaching the summit of the mountain and worked his way down by “sliding on the rocks”.

As the reality of his situation began to sink in, Galdamez said he became increasingly worried.

“It was beginning to get cold, it was raining, I didn’t know what was going to happen [and] I didn’t know how long it was going to take before everybody found me,” he told the Otago Daily Times.

“It was very stressful, that’s for sure. I was very scared.’’

Galdamez said his puffer jacket provided some protection from the extreme elements but it “wasn’t enough” when it began snowing on Wednesday night.

“I did everything I could to stay hydrated — I was drinking water from a waterfall, putting snow in my mouth just to kind of keep me hydrated.

“I knew if I didn’t have any kind of water then it probably would have turned out worse.’’

The tourist said he found a large rock where he huddled during both nights of his ordeal, trying to breathe slowly and keep warm.

“[I was] just praying that they would find me as soon as they can,” he said.

“Once it was snowing I began to get very worried, I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it.’’

Eventually, Galdamez said he heard rescuers calling his name from the summit and he summoned the strength to climb up to them.

“They were calling out my name and I had to work my way up to back from the bottom and that in itself was a big pain,” he said.

‘’When I saw [them] there’s no way to describe it, I literally ... started crying. I couldn’t thank them enough.

“Honestly, if it wasn’t for them, then I probably wouldn’t be here ... thank God for the rescue team.’’

Galdamez, who suffered cuts in the ordeal, said he was looking forward to a “Big Mac and a bit of a beer”.

His mother Pany, who flew from Melbourne to Queenstown on Wednesday, said she was overcome with relief to hear her son had been found alive.

“Thank you. I am really happy ... really grateful,” she told rescuers.

Galdamez said he was now keen to walk to the Everest base camp, having learnt some valuable lessons from his ordeal, including packing necessities and not trekking alone.

The Australian man’s ordeal comes two months after New Zealand emergency crews rescued a Czech tramper from a hut in a mountainous region near Lake Mackenzie where she had spent a month struggling for survival after the death of her hiking partner.

Pavlina Pizova stumbled across the warden’s hut and spent four terrifying weeks there after her friend Ondrej Petr fell to his death while the pair as the pair trekked along the Routeburn Track in extreme conditions.