How a Border Collie Survived a 180-Foot Waterfall Fall and 2 Weeks in the New Zealand Bush

After two weeks lost in the New Zealand bush, rescuers successfully saved a four-year-old border collie named Molly on March 31. Her owner, a woman in her twenties, had fallen down a 180-foot waterfall on March 17 while trekking through challenging terrain near the small town of Hokitika.

Lillian Newton, safety manager and pilot for the responding flight company Precision Helicopters, told Outside that Molly’s owner was backpacking in an extremely remote area of the country’s Southern Alps when she slipped and fell down the waterfall.

“Luckily, the hiker landed in some water at the bottom; otherwise, she could possibly have died,” Newton said. The woman, whom Newtown referred to only as Jessica to protect her privacy, activated her personal locator beacon. A government-funded rescue helicopter responded and picked up the bruised hiker.

“Unfortunately, when the rescue happened, Molly was nowhere to be seen. But I just started getting this gut feeling that Molly must still be alive,” Newton said. So she set up a fundraiser page describing Molly as Jessica’s partner on many backcountry trips. The area where Molly went missing was so remote that rescuers had to use a helicopter to search through it.

Precision Helicopters does not operate as a rescue company and did not participate in Jessica’s response. But after hearing of the woman’s remarkable rescue—and her missing companion—Newton quickly stepped into action. She launched a campaign to raise 2,500 NZD ($1,436), enough to fund a flight in search of the missing pup. A helicopter costs roughly 50 NZD ($29) a minute to run. Within six hours, contributions poured in totaling over 11,500 NZD ($6,605). Newton promptly stopped the fundraiser and set the rotor blades in motion.

Newton runs Precision Helicopters with her mom and dad. Her father, Matt Newton, teamed up with a local thermal camera operator to set out in search of Molly.

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

Molly wasn’t in the area the first few times the helicopter came through. But after two weeks of searching, Newton’s father and former rescue helicopter Matt spotted Molly on the thermal camera underneath the waterfall. She was huddled in the exact place where her owner had fallen. One of the rescuers even brought Bingo, their Jack Russell terrier, to provide emotional support for Molly in case she felt frightened. A video recorded during the rescue showed the black-and-white border collie huddled beneath a rockpile alongside rushing water.

Luckily, Molly climbed right into the helicopter.

“She was in really good condition, and she must have been eating—we have Australian possums here, and we reckon she must have killed and eaten a few of those,” Newton said.

Although Jessica’s fall injured her too badly to help with the rescue mission, Newton said the border collie’s owner felt overwhelmed with joy when she reunited with her best friend.

“Thank you to everybody who donated and volunteered to help. The success of saving Molly would not have been possible without this joint effort. What a happy ending to reunite her with Jess after her accident,” Precision Helicopters Ltd on their Facebook page.

And for those facing tough, seemingly insurmountable challenges, Newton says to keep your hopes up.

“Trust your gut feeling,” she said.