A group of people who were trapped in floodwaters were forced to wander for hours before finally finding a way out.
A group of friends were trapped by floodwaters at Piha in west Auckland, New Zealand while walking to the Kitekite falls, a popular tourist spot.
They were among about 20 people who became stranded after severe thunderstorms and heavy rain on Saturday, the New Zealand Herald reported.
A group of friends (pictured) were trapped by floodwaters at Piha in west Auckland, New Zealand while walking to the Kitekite falls, a popular tourist spot
They were among about 20 people who became stranded after severe thunderstorms and heavy rain on Saturday
Colin Ennor said he and his friends were expecting to take a leisurely walk before the flooding hit.
‘It turned from a gentle stroll in our jandals and t-shirts into a three hour experience of survival,’ he said.
Those trapped were forced to huddle together for warmth while they frantically searched for a way out.
They arrived at the waterfall carpark as the rain began to come down heavily, and after walking for a while they decided to head back.
What had been a dry creek turned into gushing floodwaters, preventing them from walking across.
‘We ended up walking for about two hours because we couldn’t find a way out. Everywhere we went to walk was completely blocked by flooding. After walking for another hour and a half we ended up standing, trying to figure out how to get out of there,’ Mr Ennor said.
Some in the group were worried they would develop hypothermia.
Colin Ennor said he and his friends were expecting to take a leisurely walk before the flooding hit
After walking for an hour they managed to get cellphone reception and call for help.
A mountain runner from Canada was in the group and chose to run all the tracks at the falls to find a way out.
He managed to find one, and after an hour of falling over on the muddy and wet track they managed to make their way out.
The group spoke to police and then headed home for hot showers and something to eat.
A mountain runner from Canada was in the group and chose to run all the tracks at the falls to find a way out