A crew member on board a container ship destined for Australia was rescued by the Northland Rescue Helicopter team after seriously injuring his arm.
It was one of three rescues carried out by the Whangarei-based helicopter crew in one day.
The man suffered a fractured arm while working on a 140-metre container ship that had left Tauranga for Melbourne. The initial call for help was made to the Rescue Coordination Centre in Wellington on Tuesday.As the ship was 611km off Northland's West Coast, Northland Rescue Helicopter pilot Steve Couchman said it was decided to wait for the vessel to turn around and get closer to shore before attempting the rescue.
Mr Couchman set off with a co-pilot and two St John intensive care paramedics at 9.40am on Wednesday and arrived at the ship about an hour later when the ship was 180km west of Mangonui Bluff.
A paramedic was lowered on to the ship and the patient safely winched into the helicopter.
Mr Couchman was unsure how the ship's crew member was injured.
After flying the man to Whangarei Hospital, the helicopter was called to rescue another man who fractured his lower leg in a bush track at Waitakere, west of Auckland.
Mr Couchman said the helicopter was called as it would have taken three hours to stretcher the man out to a waiting ambulance.
He was flown to Auckland City Hospital.
The other callout for the Northland Rescue Helicopter was about 4am the same day when the crew flew to North Shore Hospital and delivered a pregnant woman to Whangarei Hospital.
The Northland Rescue Helicopter fundraising appeal is currently under way to raise money towards the operating costs of the rescue service.