Missing tramper helped retrieve Erebus crash victims
Police are concerned for the welfare of the 75-year-old, who is overdue from a walk up Mt Davy to Mt Sewell, north-east of Greymouth, on Wednesday.
Arbon may be wearing a blue puffer jacket, shorts, hiking boots but this is not confirmed.
"Police are undertaking search activity north-east of Greymouth in relation to the missing tramper."
Those involved included police Search and Rescue teams, LANDSAR volunteers from Greymouth and surrounding areas, and a Search and Rescue dog and they were encountering "alpine conditions".
"Teams are canvassing areas and tracks the tramper may have taken. Although the 75-year-old is believed to be an experienced hiker, there are concerns for his well-being given the length of time he has been overdue with no contact and the cold temperatures." Antarctic work after Erebus crash
Arbon was working for the Antarctic division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Mt Erebus on Ross Island.
He later detailed his involvement in the recovery effort to NZ History.
"Conditions were dangerous. We were working on a glacier, and we did not know where the crevasses were. When these were found they were marked with a flag. I remember carrying a suitcase with all the paraphernalia in it with an ice axe in the other hand probing for crevasses," he said.
"One thing that has stayed with me is the smell of unburnt aviation fuel. When the plane went down there was a blast from the aviation fuel but not all of it burnt off.
"When I returned to Scott Base after the recovery phase, 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."
He also helped to recover the bodies of 14 people who died when a viewing platform collapsed at Cave Creek in Paparoa National Park in 1995.
Arbon later fell prey to international drug smugglers.
He was detained in Australia after a suitcase he carried from Brazil was found to be concealing more than 2kg of cocaine.
Arbon was found not guilty of drug smuggling following a trial at Western Australia's District Court.
The story was later told in the documentary film The Scam.
Anyone who has seen Roy or has any information on his whereabouts is asked to call police on 105, quoting job number P063265345.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Search resumes for missing man
Roy Arbon was seen riding a bike on July 23. Photo: Police Police are continuing the search for Roy Arbon who has been missing on the West Coast. Arbon, 75, is overdue from a tramp up Mt Davy to Mt Sewell, north-east of Greymouth. He set out on the walk on Wednesday last week. Roy Arbon. Photo: Supplied A large search operation, involving police search and rescue teams, LANDSAR volunteers from Greymouth and the surrounding areas and a Search and Rescue dog, has so far failed to locate him. On Monday morning, police released an image of Arbon heading from Runanga to the Mt Davy area on a red bike on the morning of July 23. The bike has since been located on Rewanui Rd. Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood, the officer in charge of Search and Rescue on the West Coast, said police are particularly interested to hear from anyone who may have seen Arbon during this time. Anyone who has seen Arbon or has information on his whereabouts should call 105 and quote job number 250725/2139. Although Arbon is believed to be an experienced hiker, police are concerned for his well-being, given the length of time he has been overdue with no contact and the cold temperatures. Kirkwood said police are committed to the ongoing search. Erebus and Cave Creek rescuer 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.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Missing tramper helped retrieve Erebus crash victims
A West Coast beekeeper who helped to recover bodies after the Erebus air disaster and was later the victim of a drug smuggling scam has gone missing on a tramp near Greymouth. Police are concerned for the welfare of the 75-year-old, who is overdue from a walk up Mt Davy to Mt Sewell, north-east of Greymouth, on Wednesday. Arbon may be wearing a blue puffer jacket, shorts, hiking boots but this is not confirmed. "Police are undertaking search activity north-east of Greymouth in relation to the missing tramper." Those involved included police Search and Rescue teams, LANDSAR volunteers from Greymouth and surrounding areas, and a Search and Rescue dog and they were encountering "alpine conditions". "Teams are canvassing areas and tracks the tramper may have taken. Although the 75-year-old is believed to be an experienced hiker, there are concerns for his well-being given the length of time he has been overdue with no contact and the cold temperatures." Antarctic work after Erebus crash Arbon was working for the Antarctic division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Mt Erebus on Ross Island. He later detailed his involvement in the recovery effort to NZ History. "Conditions were dangerous. We were working on a glacier, and we did not know where the crevasses were. When these were found they were marked with a flag. I remember carrying a suitcase with all the paraphernalia in it with an ice axe in the other hand probing for crevasses," he said. "One thing that has stayed with me is the smell of unburnt aviation fuel. When the plane went down there was a blast from the aviation fuel but not all of it burnt off. "When I returned to Scott Base after the recovery phase, 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." He also helped to recover the bodies of 14 people who died when a viewing platform collapsed at Cave Creek in Paparoa National Park in 1995. Arbon later fell prey to international drug smugglers. He was detained in Australia after a suitcase he carried from Brazil was found to be concealing more than 2kg of cocaine. Arbon was found not guilty of drug smuggling following a trial at Western Australia's District Court. The story was later told in the documentary film The Scam. Anyone who has seen Roy or has any information on his whereabouts is asked to call police on 105, quoting job number P063265345.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Concern for missing tramper on West Coast
A West Coast beekeeper who helped to recover bodies after the Erebus air disaster and was later the victim of a drug-smuggling scam has gone missing on a tramp near Greymouth. Roy Arbon, 75, is overdue from a walk on Wednesday up Mt Davy to Mt Sewell, north-east of Greymouth. Police said they have concerns for the man, due to harsh weather conditions. They said Arbon may be wearing a blue puffer jacket, shorts and hiking boots - but this is not confirmed. A search is under way. Those involved included police Search and Rescue teams, LANDSAR volunteers from Greymouth and surrounding areas, and a Search and Rescue dog. Police said they were encountering "alpine conditions". "Teams are canvassing areas and tracks the tramper may have taken. Although the 75-year-old is believed to be an experienced hiker, there are concerns for his well-being, given the length of time he has been overdue with no contact and the cold temperatures." Antarctic work after Erebus crash Arbon was working for the Antarctic division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Mt Erebus on Ross Island on November 28. He later detailed his involvement in the recovery effort to NZ History. "Conditions were dangerous. We were working on a glacier, and we did not know where the crevasses were. When these were found they were marked with a flag. I remember carrying a suitcase with all the paraphernalia in it with an ice axe in the other hand probing for crevasses. "One thing that has stayed with me is the smell of unburnt aviation fuel. When the plane went down there was a blast from the aviation fuel but not all of it burnt off," he said. "When I returned to Scott Base after the recovery phase, 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." Arbon also helped to recover the bodies of 14 people who died when a viewing platform collapsed at Cave Creek in Paparoa National Park in 1995. Arbon later fell prey to international drug smugglers. He was detained in Australia after a suitcase he carried from Brazil was found to be concealing more than 2kg of cocaine. He was found not guilty of drug smuggling following a trial at Western Australia's District Court. The story was later told in the documentary film The Scam . Anyone who has seen Roy or has any information on his whereabouts is asked to call police on 105, quoting job number P063265345.
