Man rescued from river mouth

A 25-year-old man was winched to safety by a helicopter crew after a wave swept him into icy waters at the mouth of the swollen Taieri River in Otago.

A local called police after he saw the man stranded on Moturata Island near Taieri Mouth, 38km southwest of Dunedin, about 1pm today.

The Otago Rescue Helicopter and an inflatable rescue boat from the nearby Brighton Surf Club went to the man's aid, as well as a local on a jet ski.

Senior Sergeant Brian Benn of Dunedin police said the man had been washed off the rocks by a wave before emergency services arrived.

He was winched into the helicopter about 100m offshore and taken to Taieri Mouth, where an ambulance took him to Dunedin Hospital to be treated for hypothermia.

"He was pretty cold," Mr Benn said.

It was not uncommon for people to walk across a sandbar to the island at low tide, he said.

"When the sea conditions are okay then it's quite safe, but today it wasn't. The sea conditions were a bit rough and the low tide wasn't that low, so he got into a bit of bother."

The Taieri River was swollen from days of rain, which would have stirred up the water up and made visibility of the sandbar more difficult, Mr Benn said.

"It turned out to be a bad idea. All of those factor contributed."The man, who was wearing a wet suit, was "a lucky boy" to have survived.

Mr Benn praised the actions of the "astute local" who phoned police and kept them informed of the man's location.

The incident was a reminder for people to check conditions, seek local advice and take care on the sandbar, he said.

- NZPA