Kyle Evans/ABC News
Two New Zealand men stranded on Solomon Islands’ highest mountain have been rescued.
Keanu Isaksson, 25, and Luca Zylstra 19, were airlifted out of a steep ravine on Tuesday morning, where they had been trapped for the last six days.
Mr Isaksson’s mother, Denise Holl, told the ABC a clear window of weather allowed a rescue helicopter to reach the pair, who were located 1,828 metres up Mount Popomanaseu in central Guadalcanal.
The helicopter dropped food and a radio to the men, who were then able to clear space for a cargo net to be lowered.
“They instructed the boys to fell some trees to create some space for the helicopter,” she said.
“The boys had their own equipment with knives that could do the tree work and they were able to climb the net and get flown back to Honiara.”
The pilot of the rescue helicopter, Paul Hubbard, told the ABC the dense shrub prevented the helicopter from landing.
But he was able to hover about 15 metres above their location and drop the net once the men cleared space underneath.
“They were pretty relieved to get out of there,” he said.
“By the time we were ready to come out, the clouds were already closing in.”
Ms Holl said she was able to speak with the two men, describing them as both nonchalant and emotional.
“My son and Luca have done lots of adventures together and are very close, and they would have taken very good care of each other,” she said.
“I’m sure they’ve got quite a bit of footage and quite a few stories to tell.”
Mr Isaksson and Mr Zylstra travelled to Solomon Islands in search of a remote climbing adventure and as preparation for an upcoming trip to the Amazon.
Mount Popomanaseu is a 2,335-metre mountain, taller than mainland Australia’s tallest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, which stands at 2,228 metres.
Ms Holl said the friends had summitted with the aid of guides from a local tribe, but those guides could not take the men back down because the descent path crossed into a different tribal area.
During their descent, Ms Holl said torrential rain made the steep terrain “impossible” to traverse, forcing them to camp on a rock overlooking a waterfall for six days.
“They’re extremely lucky that the rivers didn’t rise any higher because it would have just washed them over the waterfall,” she said.
Initial attempts to reach the pair were unsuccessful, with one search party forced to turn back because of heavy rain.
The rescue helicopter meanwhile did not have access to a winch and was unable to land where the men were stranded.
Ms Holl said the past week had taken a huge emotional toll on her family, but they could now rest easy knowing the men were safe.
“We’re ecstatic, and I’m shaking right now and just decompressing,” she said.
“We’re just really happy that this didn’t go on any longer.”
