Mt Aspiring National Park.

Mt Aspiring National Park. Image by Andrea Schaffer / CC BY 2.0

An American tourist who was lost for nine days in New Zealand’s  Mt Aspiring National Park was picked up by a passing helicopter on Thursday. The man failed to turn up for a flight to Auckland on Tuesday resulting in an emergency search. He was eventually spotted in forest by a helicopter pilot and flown to the South Island town of Te Anau. Police say the walker was well-equipped but was not carrying an emergency locator beacon.

Read more: 3news.co.nz