NZPolice: On 28 July, the rescue team got a lead after polling on Mr Arbon’s phone pinpointed his last position. It showed that at 2.39pm on 24 July, Mr Arbon was in an open area, roughly 1 kilometre north of Sewell Peak’s repeater and 2 kilometres south of Mount Davy, heading south
At 2.51pm, 12 minutes after the phone “pinged”, a Police Sergeant was flying over that exact location in a helicopter, taking video of the search area, Senior Sergeant Kirkwood says.
“When we reviewed the footage, we couldn’t find any sign of Mr Arbon in it. We know his phone was absolutely in that area, and we know the polling is right - you get perfect reception up there because you’re right by the repeater.
“In this area, you’re a good distance from the cover of bush, and it would’ve been a struggle for him to walk that far that fast.
One of the maps I've seen shows a number of ridges in the area. Is there any possibility the signal was a one off reflection or something like that?
