A woman is in Taupo Hospital after being rescued off the eastern slopes of Mt Ngauruhoe this morning.
The 19-year-old Waikato University student from Malaysia set off yesterday morning with a group of friends to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Police said she went off track and got lost, and was distressed, cold and hungry when she called them at 5pm last night.
Police and Search and Rescue teams from Taupo, Turangi and National Park spent the night looking for her.
Senior Constable Barry Shepherd said search and rescue teams spent the night searching for her and she was found at 8.30am today by a rescue helicopter team, cold, distressed and hungry.
He said she was taken to Taupo Hospital.
"She's got a sprained ankle, apart from that she's in surprisingly good spirits and in really good condition, it was a pretty cold night and she was only dressed in T-shirt and a cotton hoodie and a pair of pants."