Search resumes for missing tramper Roy Arbon on West Coast
Photo:
Supplied
Police are continuing the search for 75-year-old Roy Arbon missing on the West Coast.
He is is overdue from a walk up Mt Davy to Mt Sewell, north-east of Greymouth. He had set out on the walk on Wednesday.
A large search operation involving police search and rescue teams, LANDSAR volunteers from Greymouth and surrounding areas and a Search and Rescue dog, has so far failed to locate him.
Although Arbon is believed to be an experienced hiker, police were
concerned for his wellbeing
given the length of time he has been overdue with no contact and the cold temperatures.
Police remain committed to the ongoing search, Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood said.
Arbon worked for the Antarctic division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research when Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Mt Erebus in 1979.
In an
interview with NZ History
, he described the dangerous recovery work: "We were working on a glacier… probing for crevasses with an ice axe. One thing that stayed with me is the smell of unburnt aviation fuel."
He also helped erect a memorial cross on the crash site amid gale-force winds so strong the helicopter could not be shut down.
"I was asked to help erect a memorial cross on the site. This was done in a gale-force wind so bad the helicopter could not shut down. I believe this was because the wind was blowing so hard, they wouldn't be able to get the machine started without damage to the main rotors."
In 1995, Arbon also assisted in recovering the bodies of 14 people who died when a viewing platform collapsed at Cave Creek.
Years later, Arbon was caught up in an
international drug smuggling scam
.
He was detained in Australia after unknowingly transporting a suitcase from Brazil that contained more than 2kg of cocaine.
He was later acquitted at trial in Western Australia. His ordeal was featured in the documentary The Scam.
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