A woman abandoned in the bush by her friends had to be saved by a police search and rescue team.

The trampers were in the Wairere Falls area near Matamata on Thursday when they became separated.

"The group said they left her halfway because she wasn't able to keep up with them," Waikato Police Senior Sergeant Andrew O'Reilly said.



The woman left behind became lost. Her friends rang police about 9.45pm.

The lost tramper settled down in the bush and remained in the same spot, where she was found overnight by volunteers from the Hamilton Search and Rescue Group.

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"They brought her out at 6am," O'Reilly said.

Police said the second search highlighted the need for tramping groups to stay together and allow the slowest person to dictate the speed of the group.

Waikato Tramping Club president Stephen Prendergast said it was against "bush craft rules" to leave a fellow tramper behind.

"Experienced trampers are organised. They stay together. Trampers will know the bush itself and be capable of tramping in that particular environment," he said.

"People who don't have experience should participate in organised groups - work within your capabilities and use common sense."

O'Reilly said this was the second incident in the Waikato in less than three hours. The first involved three adults tramping in the Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park.

He believed they were heading toward the Hurunui Hut, about 2.5 hours from the Kaimai Summit, when they rang police about 7.30pm.

"They got lost and made cellphone contact with police and we were able to locate them via that cellphone link.

"They Facebooked their family members, too."

RESOURCES

O'Reilly said the group had no real idea of where they were or what they were doing. Rescuers brought them out at 11.30pm.

"As a result, that's a lot of resources gone in for an overnight rescue.

"People need to pack as if they are going to stay out for the night, even if it's a day trip.

"Leave a note, let someone know where you're going and what time you should expect to be back.

"Basically, they're not following the basic commonsense stuff that's available from any tramping resource."

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