We are commercial Beekeepers based in Canterbury, NZ. We were heading off to Otira to pick up hives to bring them back home and when we got to the Otira river crossing, the river was really low so we had no trouble crossing it. Not long after we started loading hives onto vehicles, it started raining. After an hour, one of the guys went back to check the river level and when he came back he said it had risen but at a rate not to cause any concerns as the last load was just about done.

Within 30 minutes, the hives were loaded, final vehicle checks done and the vehicles headed back to the river and then head home. By the time they got back, there had been a flash flood and the river was around chest height and the guys knew there was no way they were getting across it. Everyone was cold, wet and concerned about getting out.

After trying to attract the attention of passing vehicles on the other side of the river, it was decided to activate the ACR ResQLink PLB and hope help wasn’t too far away. I got the call from the Rescue communications centre in Wellington to say a beacon had been activated and the Greymouth Rescue helicopter had been dispatched. What a relief! Within an hour, all the guys had been airlifted out and we made plans to have them picked up from.