Here is Camiel's story:
We went mountain biking in the Akatarawa Forest at noon. We were expecting a 2-3 hour trip but we went on the wrong track, which we didn't realize until about 3:30pm. We biked along and the first hour was flat and easy. We came across a hill and it just kept going up. Suddenly the hill dropped steeply and it was very rocky. About 10 minutes after that we began to want to go back but we didn't want to because of the big hill we just came down so we continued and decided we'd take the turn off to Queen Elizabeth park. It went up again and it started getting darker.
At about 3:30pm we reached the top of the second hill. There was a clearing here and we stopped and rested, this was when we realized we were on the wrong track. Queen Elizabeth park didn't look too far away from here so we continued down the track. An hour later we reached another clearing and there was a sign that said 'Rock Garden'. We were shocked, we thought we were almost there but the Rock garden was about 5 hours away.
We thought we could still make it to Queen Elizabeth so we continued down the track. At the bottom of the Rock Garden there was a river that wasn't on the map and the track split up into many different tracks. We followed the widest track, as this track was for 4WD and motorbikes. We found many footprints in the mud and 100 Meters from there the track disappeared. We knew we couldn't continue so we decided to go all the way back to the car, because then we would know where we were on the right track. So we turned around and began the long journey back.
At 6:30 pm we reached the river and at 7:45 pm we reached the top of the Rock garden. I knew we wouldn't be able to get to the car from here but I was unable to convince the others that we had to sleep here. We managed to get 1 or 2 bars of cellphone coverage but none of our countless calls and texts went through. I saw a shooting star here and I wished that we'd be rescued. We decided we'd go back to the first clearing and decide what we'd do from there. We left the Rock garden at 8pm.
It started getting very dark. It got too dark to ride our bikes so we had to walk with them. We considered ditching them but we knew that we'd need them on the 2 hills going down, so we kept them. By 9pm visibility was extremely low, we could barely see 2 meters in front of us in the forest parts and we communicated and used sound to make sure everyone was near. It began to get very cold, my fingers went numb and I began shivering. We walked up and up and up. We sung songs and talked about what we're gonna do. By the time we reached the clearing at 10pm we knew that we couldn't continue. We decided to sleep at the clearing for the night and continue back to the car in the morning.
Luckily we had a lighter with us and I had 2 paper planes. We gathered gorse, sticks, leaves and ferns and set up a little campfire. It took half an hour for the fire to get going. We burned anything that could burn and eventually managed to get huge, fat sticks to spring alight. We sat and waited. At this time I had no food or drink except for my coke which I was saving for the morning and the others had 6 biscuits, a tuna sandwich, a muesli bar and half a bottle of water. We ate 3 biscuits and saved the rest for the morning. Every 45-60 minutes we'd have to go and gather more wood.
It was a clear and beautiful night. We saved some gorse to use as a pillow and we kept our helmets on to keep our heads warm. The fire kept us nice and warm. Just before midnight I decided I'd go to sleep. So I lay down and waited for sleep to hit me. I played with the fire, throwing little bits of grass and gorse in and watching it flare up. My cousin went to collect some more wood for the fire and a few seconds after that we heard the roaring of an engine, 10 seconds later a quad bike came around the corner with the huge floodlights blinding us. On the quad was the park ranger and a policeman. The policeman gave me a huge coat to keep me warm and the park ranger left to get the 4WD and radio the other searchers and my parents. The policeman stayed with us and explained to us what they were going to do now; "He's going back to the 4WD which is about 20 minutes from here, there's a radio in the 4WD. From there he's going to radio the other searchers to tell them to stop searching, he'll also call your parents to tell them you're safe, the radio doubles as a special cellphone. He'll then come back with the 4WD and a trailer for your bikes and we'll take you out of the bush."
We talked and shared stories with the policeman. I saw another shooting star and wish for some more food. At 2am the Park ranger came back with the other searchers and the 4WD and explained why they had taken so long. The track was a loop track so they had sent one search group one way around the track and the other our way. The other group where all the way up near Queen Elizabeth and they had to go all they back to where the park Ranger was and that took ages. From there they came back and picked us up. They drove us all the way back to about half an hour from the beginning in 15 minutes. There were blocks here so they had to take an old logging route to get back. It took another 20 minutes to get to civilization but we got some very nice views of the valley and Wellington. They then took us to the carpark where our car was and where mum and dad had been waiting for 5 hours. We arrived there at 3am. We were very relieved and grateful. We went home, via MacDonald's. Both my shooting star wishes came true! We got home at 4am and I told mum that I have to get up in 2 and a half hours to get ready for school and she said "No, you're not going to school".
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I am GRATEFUL. For the safety of the children, yes. For the efforts of the search and rescue team who spend a whole night in the bush, searching for our children, yes. But I am also grateful for the moments I have spend with my son in the big natural outdoors. From the moment they could "sit" in a front or back pack we have taken our children on bushwalks and camping trips. Talking to my son about his experience in the wilderness bush, he doesn't show any signs of fear for the natural surroundings he was in. Indeed, that seemed the least of his concern. He was more worried about his parents not knowing they were uninjured and okay, then spending a night in the bush. He was cold, tired and hungry, but he didn't panic. He found strength in the shooting stars, thanks to the many nights of stargazing we share so often late at night at our home.
Feeding a young child's biophilia, a love for nature, is indispensable. Children who grow up with nature as part of their world, will at all times feel connected with that world. They will find strength and courage in difficult situations as their connection with nature will bring added elements that will help them succeed.
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."- Rachel Carson
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