Molly the border collie found in New Zealand’s remote backcountry a week after owner’s hiking accident

A border collie separated from her owner during a hiking accident was found alive at the base of a waterfall in a remote New Zealand region after nearly a week of searching, rescuers said.

The dog, Molly, 4, was located on Tuesday near the Southern Alps, close to where she was last seen.

Molly had gone missing after her owner, Jessica Johnston, fell nearly 55m during a hike in rugged terrain in the Arahura Valley on 24 March near the town of Hokitika.

Ms Johnston survived the fall and was airlifted out with serious injuries, but Molly disappeared in the chaos, leaving little hope she could endure the harsh conditions alone.

Despite the odds, a small helicopter team – made up of experienced volunteers – decided to try.

According to The Guardian, Lillian Newton, safety manager and pilot with Precision Helicopters, who helped coordinate the mission, said she couldn’t shake the feeling that the dog might still be out there. Ms Newton from Precision Helicopters said she had a “a gut feeling” that Molly was still alive.

Funding quickly became the first hurdle. Helicopter searches in such remote areas are costly, and there is no official system in place to cover animal rescues in the wilderness. So Ms Newton and her team turned to the public.

Precision Helicopters is not a formal rescue service and was not involved in the initial operation to evacuate Ms Johnston. However, after learning about her survival and the missing dog, Ms Newton moved quickly to organise a search.

“We rang Jess and made sure she was okay for us to put it to the public,” Ms Newton said.

“The goal was to get $2,400 and some volunteers that were experienced to come along.”

Within hours, donations poured in from across the country, allowing the team to mobilise.

The terrain they were heading into was far from forgiving. As Ms Newton described it, the area was “extremely remote, rough, bushy and wet”.

Dense vegetation, constant rain, and steep alpine conditions made the search both technically demanding and physically draining.

“Looking for Molly was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. This terrain is extremely isolated, extremely rough. We have thick bush, and we have the most rainfall in New Zealand,” Ms Newton told Outside magazine.

“It’s wet, it’s cold, and it’s rugged and gnarly. We said dog prayers the night before flying with our own dogs.”

Using thermal imaging equipment and years of rescue experience, the team flew directly to the area where Ms Johnston had fallen. To their surprise, that instinct paid off.

“They went directly to the spot where the owner, Jessica, had fallen. And much to our surprise, Molly was there,” Ms Newton said.

The pilot, Matt Newton, who is the owner of Precision Helicopters, said the dog was finally identified through thermal scanning.

“We were just making our way up the river to the most likely location where we felt that she would be, which is where Jess, her owner had fallen two weeks ago. We had the thermal equipment, and she came up on the screen glowing red hot,” he said, according to RNZ.

“As we got closer, we could see it was actually her because other things can glow like possums and deer and goats and shammies and stoats and who knows, but it was the dog. We were stoked. Yeah, absolutely stoked.”

Molly had been stranded in a narrow, slippery area beneath the waterfall, surrounded by moss-covered rocks and constant spray. Reaching her required careful manoeuvring.

As the helicopter hovered low, a crew member climbed out to retrieve her. Food helped gain her trust, and within moments, she was safely lifted aboard.

“I’d say she’d been scragging the odd possum and I’m sure she wouldn’t have killed any kiwis. She knows the rules there because she’s been kiwi trained. I’m pretty sure she’s been munching on the odd possum and she’s in pretty good condition, considering.”

Meanwhile, Ms Johnston – who had been recovering from serious injuries – was still grappling with the uncertainty of her dog’s fate. She had suffered a split elbow and extensive bruising from the fall, making the wait even more difficult.

In a message shared on social media, Ms Johnston expressed her gratitude to those who helped make the search possible.

“I’d like to give the biggest thank you to all that have taken the time to donate with both funding, volunteering and sharing her posts,” she said.

“I’m absolutely blown away with the support everyone has given her so far from the kindest of strangers. Obviously devastated I’m not in a physical state to provide help on the ground. But with the support that’s been given a lot can be achieved for those that can. Incredibly grateful for how much was raised in a short period.

“Thank you for helping bring my Molly back home.”