Children, aged 8 and 11, missing overnight in ‘remote’ Southland bush

Two children, aged 8 and 11, are missing in remote Southland bush. The pair set out for a walk from a DOC campground near Mavora Lake on Saturday afternoon. A massive land and air search is underway for the children.

An air and land search is underway for two children, aged 8 and 11, missing overnight in a remote area of Southland.

The 8-year-old-boy and 11-year-old girl did not return from a bush walk at Mavora Lakes Road after they set out at 2.30pm on Saturday from a campground at the northern end of the road, police said.

Searchers had been looking for the pair overnight.

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A further 30 searchers headed out at first light on Sunday as well as a police, search dogs, and volunteers.

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Mavora Lakes Rd runs along the east side of the Mararoa River between Te Anau and Kingston.

Southland District Mayor Rob Scott said 45 searchers were involved by 8.15am on Sunday.

”The search and rescue team is top-notch. They definitely have the right people on the ground,” he said.

The area was “pretty remote” but the campground was popular and likely had a few families there for the school holidays. There were a variety of tracks towards the lake, river, and hills from the campground, which is split into two sections.

Southland District councillor Tom O’Brien said the area around the campground was relatively flat and open but with some beech forest near the lake before it got mountainous further away.

“There’s been quite a bit of rain but the temperature has been not as cold as it has been,” he said.

MetService meteorologist April Clark said the overnight low in the closest station to the site, at Lumsden, was 6.6C. There was cloud and westerly winds on Saturday and a light shower early on Sunday morning.

The forecast for Sunday was some isolated showers but clearing to fine spells.

Southern Lakes Helicopter operations manager Lloyd Matheson was on standby on Sunday morning to replace a crew that had been searching through the night.

The Department of Conservation Mavora Lakes Campsite is split into two area – one alongside south Mavora Lake and the other between South Mavora Lake and North Mavora Lake.