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Makeshift signs for help aid in rescue of missing hikers in New Zealand

By Marilyn Malara
A mother-daughter pair of American hikers were found alive in the New Zealand bush after spending four days with limited supplies. Photo by Amalgamated Helicopters/Facebook
A mother-daughter pair of American hikers were found alive in the New Zealand bush after spending four days with limited supplies. Photo by Amalgamated Helicopters/Facebook

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, May 1 (UPI) -- A mother and daughter, who originally planned for a daylong hike in New Zealand's Tararua Forest Park, were discovered alive after having been missing for four days.

Hikers Carolyn Lloyd, 44, and her daughter Rachel Lloyd, 22, were found hungry, dehydrated and freezing Saturday after helicopter pilots spotted their large "HELP" signs in several clearings.

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The duo, from North Carolina, reportedly misread trail signs and became lost in the wild with minimal supplies and food. After four days, they created large "HELP" signs out of sticks near a riverbed.

Police confirmed the mother-daughter pair had been found via a Twitter post.

Rachel Lloyd, a student studying at New Zealand's Massey University, was in need of medical care due to hypothermia. Doctors said she wouldn't have lasted through the next 24 hours.

"At this point we kind of knew I was failing health and I was on the verge of dying," Rachel said, according to Sky News. "We were even discussing going through my dying wishes which I'm sure wasn't easy for her."

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In a Facebook post, the helicopter company which picked up the lost hikers shared several photos of their makeshift signs.

"It wasn't long before [pilots] located the pair with arms waving in desperation," Amalgamated Helicopters NZ wrote. "Landing nearby they were met with gratitude and a sense of relief. With one needing medical attention [pilot] Jd called the SAR base and was instructed to airlift the pair out to a nearby airport."

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