Missing American man at backpackers
A 24-year-old American tramper has been found at a backpacker hostel while searchers were looking for him on the Copland Track on the West Coast.
Family in the United States reported Philip Gerald Mohseni, from Portland, Oregon, missing as they had not heard from him for some time.
A search party was flown in to the Copland Track to look for him on Sunday.
"He's turned up at a backpackers' in Hokitika," Sergeant Sean Judd told NZ Newswire.
Mr Mohseni had indicated to his family he was going into the mountains and there was bad weather at the time. He failed to make regular contact with his parents when he came out of the bush.
The track was closed last week just after Mr Mohseni left it about Tuesday.
"He's acutely aware of the mistake he's made and I'm pretty sure he won't make it again," Sgt Judd said.
His parents were right to contact police, he said.
While police felt it was possible he had left the area they could not make that assumption and a search was launched.
