Police said contractors working in the area made the discovery, and Garnett was rushed to Nelson Hospital and reunited with his family. The Herald can reveal that Garnett was found by a Heliventures NZ pilot and a West Coast Regional Council staffer. The pair were installing signs at Venus Hut for the Department of Conservation (DoC) ahead of a predator control operation. A fellow tramper once reviewed Venus Hut saying it was “insulated, double glazed, spacious” and “nestled on a small clearing with bush surrounds”. “Features include a water tank and a well-stocked woodshed, mostly chainsawed to length and reasonably dry, an axe and … a logsplitter also provided.”

Source: New Zealand Herald January 18, 2026 23:26 UTC