A young woman who had only her dog for company when she got stuck in Auckland's Hunua Ranges overnight, says the one-year-old Labrador-Pit bull cross kept her sane.

Stephanie Bergonia-Ward and her pup Kitarah went running at about 6.30 last night in her new south-east Auckland backyard, but got lost when it started to get dark. When they didn't come back her frantic family raised the alarm.

She said she started sprinting, trying to find a way out, but ended up so tired she collapsed on the track.

"I was just so knackered and fatigued, I just was scared that in the morning [I wouldn't] be able to get up and walk cause I'd been walking and running for hours in circles it felt like."

Search teams were out overnight, and found her on the Wairoa Track at seven this morning. Ms Bergonia-Ward said when she saw the high-vis vests of her rescuers, she collapsed in relief.

She said she'd have gone crazy had it not been for her pup.

"Last night was a bit chilly, and it rained and she stayed with me the whole time and never left my sight. Kept me warm, protected me."