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| Body found in search for British hiker in New Zealand | Body found in search for British hiker in New Zealand |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rescue teams searching for a British hiker who went missing in New Zealand nearly two weeks ago have found his body, police say. | Rescue teams searching for a British hiker who went missing in New Zealand nearly two weeks ago have found his body, police say. |
| Darren Myers, 49, went missing while trekking in Tararua Range in the country's North Island. | Darren Myers, 49, went missing while trekking in Tararua Range in the country's North Island. |
| An 11-day search ended on Wednesday when a rescue helicopter spotted a body at the bottom of a remote waterfall. | An 11-day search ended on Wednesday when a rescue helicopter spotted a body at the bottom of a remote waterfall. |
| Mr Myers' brother-in-law said it was a relief that he appeared to have died suddenly, rather than waiting in pain. | Mr Myers' brother-in-law said it was a relief that he appeared to have died suddenly, rather than waiting in pain. |
| Speaking to Radio New Zealand, Duncan Styles said: "One of the hardest things we've had to bear with, was thinking he's up there, and alive, and waving at a helicopter, potentially, and not being seen, and being in pain and distress. | Speaking to Radio New Zealand, Duncan Styles said: "One of the hardest things we've had to bear with, was thinking he's up there, and alive, and waving at a helicopter, potentially, and not being seen, and being in pain and distress. |
| "To know that he's not been able to respond for the last few days is actually really good relief". | "To know that he's not been able to respond for the last few days is actually really good relief". |
| Mr Myers' wife, Kim, is too upset to speak about it, he said. | Mr Myers' wife, Kim, is too upset to speak about it, he said. |
| 'Poor visibility' | 'Poor visibility' |
| Mr Myers, who had recently moved to New Zealand from the UK, had been hiking the Tararua Northern Crossing, a popular trek that can take up to five days. | Mr Myers, who had recently moved to New Zealand from the UK, had been hiking the Tararua Northern Crossing, a popular trek that can take up to five days. |
| He sent a text to his wife on 30 May - police now believe he died later that day. | He sent a text to his wife on 30 May - police now believe he died later that day. |
| Police search and rescue incident controller Sergeant Tony Matheson said the weather conditions were particularly bad, with wind gusts of up to 145km/h, very poor visibility and rain. | Police search and rescue incident controller Sergeant Tony Matheson said the weather conditions were particularly bad, with wind gusts of up to 145km/h, very poor visibility and rain. |
| "It happened very suddenly. I don't think he suffered at all," he told Radio New Zealand. | "It happened very suddenly. I don't think he suffered at all," he told Radio New Zealand. |
| "The conditions were just about as bad as you can get up there," he added. | "The conditions were just about as bad as you can get up there," he added. |
| 'Keen on the outdoors' | |
| Mr Myers was described by his brother-in-law, Mr Styles, as a sporty man who enjoyed exploring the outdoors. | |
| "Having recently migrated to New Zealand, he wanted to see some of New Zealand's beautiful countryside - that's what he was doing," he said. | |
| "He was used to New Zealand's weather conditions, and was well aware of what could happen in those environments." |