Yahoo News Woman Survives 30 Days In Wild After Boyfriend Dies On NZ Hike
Pavlina Pizova talks about her ordeal at a press conference (Guardian)
A woman hiker who spent four weeks stranded in the New Zealand wilderness after her partner fell to his death has told how she survived her ordeal.
Pavlina Pizova not only endured the loss of her boyfriend, but spent three nights sleeping in the open in freezing conditions.
The 33-year-old only survived after wading through waist-deep snow to reach a warden’s hut.
Pavlina and her partner Ondrej Petr, 27, had got lost after going hiking on the Routeburn track in Fiordland National Park, on New Zealand’s South Island.
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Two days after they set off they got lost because of the heavy fog and snow.
After spending one night in the open, Petr slipped and fell down a steep slope, said Pavlina.
He died shortly afterwards.
Pavlina spent two more days in the open but even when she found the hut, her ordeal was not over as she could not operate a radio in the hut to call for help because she did not understand the English instructions.
The pair were hiking through Fiordland National Park (Guardian)
She was finally found by rescuers on Wednesday. Pavlina started her hike on July 27.
‘The conditions were extreme, we encountered heavy snow fall and low cloud which contributed to our enforced overnighting in the open which affected our plans to reach Lake McKenzie Hut,’ said Pavlina through an interpreter at a press conference on Friday.
‘In our attempt to reach the hut the tragic accident happened when my partner fell and died.’
The translator said Pavlina had stuffed her sleeping bag with various things to keep herself warm and regularly massaged her feet.
Pavlina spent three nights in the open air (Guardian)
In the hut, she had food, firewood and gas to stay warm.
She decided that she would stay put and wait for any rescuers.
Pavlina also wrote an ‘H’ in the snow to attract rescuers, but had to sit tight as she and her boyfriend had not told anyone they were heading on the trail.
