When a hiker fell from a 180-foot waterfall in New Zealand’s wild bush on March 24, emergency rescuers evacuated her for injuries including bruises and lacerations.

Her dog, Molly, was left behind. What happened next brought together crowdfunding, thermal imaging technology and a volunteer search party—including a dog named Bingo—in a rescue effort that found Molly alive a week later, huddled beneath the same waterfall where her owner fell.

Matt Newton and Lillian Newton refused to give up on finding Molly

Matt Newton, the owner-operator of Precision Helicopters New Zealand based at Hokitika Gorge near the Arahura River where Molly went missing, was the first to act. He reached out to the injured hiker and went out searching for her dog, flying over the area in the Southern Alps.

“I contacted her in hospital and said I’d go for a look for it,” Matt told The Associated Press. “I went and looked for the dog several times and no avail.”

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His daughter, Lillian Newton, safety manager and pilot for Precision Helicopters, kept the search going even after those early flights came up empty.

“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,” Lillian told Outside Magazine.

How crowdfunding and thermal cameras found Molly in New Zealand’s wildest terrain

The Newtons launched a fundraiser to increase flight time and pay for advanced search gear, including thermal cameras. The terrain demanded it. Without technology that could cut through it all, spotting one dog beneath a waterfall in that landscape would have been next to impossible.

“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,” Lillian 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.”

A week after the hiker’s fall, the thermal camera delivered. Matt, a veterinary nurse, volunteer searchers and a dog named Bingo located Molly just a few meters from the rocky spot where the hiker had fallen.

“We struck jackpot within about an hour,” Matt said. “As we made our way up the river, we could see the dog in the thermal and then we could visually see it.”

Molly the dog jumped into the helicopter and reunited with her owner

The helicopter flew low, dropping off the volunteer and Bingo, who helped calm Molly and get her to safety. Then the moment the whole effort had built toward: Molly jumped right into the helicopter on her own. After a full week alone in some of the wettest bush in New Zealand, Matt said she was in “surprisingly good condition.”

“She knew what we were up to, I think,” Matt said. “She behaved real well. She didn’t run away and she was pleased to be rescued.”

Back at the helicopter base, they “just had a big barbecue and all had a cuddle with Molly,” he reflected. The hiker arrived hours later and was reunited with her dog.

“I think that’ll speed up her healing process somewhat,” Matt remarked. “Having your dog back, that’s for sure.”

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