A group of people reported missing after their four-wheel-drive broke down in Wairarapa on Sunday say their main priority was keeping the children warm while they waited to be found.
Brandon Gill was with his kids, aged three and one, and his friend Keanu Piripi, when their vehicle had an "unexpected break" and they lost power to the front wheels.
The group left Masterton around midday on Sunday, and police were notified around 9:30pm when they failed to return home after what was supposed to be a day trip in the Aorangi Forest Park.
Police conducted an overnight search and a helicopter was deployed on Monday morning. Their vehicle was found near Sutherlands Hut, but it wasn't until 11am on Monday the four were located at Waikuku Lodge on Haurangi Rd.
Gill told Newshub the men had driven on the track "plenty of times" before but became stuck after they blew a CV joint "out of the blue", leading to the truck's front wheels losing power.
Once they realised they were stuck, Gill says the focus was on keeping the children warm.
He said the four initially went to Sutherlands Hut where they lit a fire to stay warm, but "it just boxed out with smoke" and they realised they couldn't spend the night there.
"We lit the fire and it was going and then it just started getting real smokey, to a point where it was burning your eyes. That was when we thought if we stay there without the fire it will be too cold."
They then decided to walk more than two hours to another hut in the area.
"We were just worried about the kids at the end of the day, we had to keep them warm - that was the main priority," Gill said.
Piripi said he was "wrapped as" when they finally encountered other people at the Waikuku Lodge. He said it was a stressful experience and he "wouldn't want to do it again".
He said the ordeal hadn't put him off four-wheel-driving but next time he would "take a bit more caution".
Gill and Piripi advised others going off-road to always carry a personal locator beacon (PLB) and where possible go in convoy.
"Don't go four-wheel-driving without someone else. And if both trucks break down make sure you've got a PLB so you can send a beacon to someone to come get you," Gill said.
