Helicopter saves dialysis patient in kayak ordeal

Helicopter saves dialysis patient in kayak ordeal

By LANE NICHOLS and PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post | Monday, 07 January 2008

It was supposed to be a two-hour river jaunt in a kayak down a river to Lake Taupo.

Instead Lana Schmidt's solo trip ended with her cold, wet and facing a night in the bush without life-saving dialysis treatment.

After a six-hour ordeal, the Wellingtonian was winched to safety by the Lion Foundation rescue helicopter with just two hours of daylight left. "The guys were great, and thank God for them."

Rescuers feared the worst after spotting the 50-year-old's submerged kayak in the Kuratau River, downstream from where she set out about 1pm on Saturday near the Kuratau Hydro Lake.

Senior Constable Barry Shepherd of Taupo police said she planned to paddle about four kilometres to the rivermouth at Lake Taupo.

With a set of rapids too tough to navigate, she tried to walk down, but her kayak filled with water and jammed against rocks.

She had to abandon it, and tried to trek back to the start through thick bush, but lost the path just before she was rescued.

Ms Schmidt, a kidney patient who needs daily dialysis treatment, said a night out in the bush "wasn't an option". "I would have been very sick indeed."

Friends at Omori reported her overdue about 6pm and the helicopter was sent to search for her. Crew saw the submerged kayak about 7pm, Mr Shepherd said.

"I was just hoping we would find her alive at that point. Fortunately she got out of the river and tried to trek back to the start.

"She was pretty pleased, pretty grateful. She was a bit cold but pleased to be rescued."

She was wearing only jandals, shorts and a singlet, and her kayak did not have a spray skirt. The emergency highlighted the dangers of kayaking alone.

"I think in hindsight she would acknowledge that it wasn't that smart to do what she did because she became unstuck."

"Tired and sore" yesterday, Ms Schmidt expected to be in a kayak again soon - but better prepared.