Winter has arrived…even if only for two days. A short, sharp, burst of cold air from near the Antarctic ice shelf looks set to bring snow to sea level in the South Island and may affect roads and air travel for a time. Temperatures nationwide are also set to take a big hit for the next few days.
A worker who fell down a Bay of Plenty landslide site had to be rescued from a ridge 50m high above a highway amid atrocious weather conditions last night.
The man had been in a two-man team surveying the site of a landslide in the Waioeka Gorge near Sandy Creekyesterday afternoon when he slipped and fell, injuring his shoulder and left unable to walk.
Police, fire, ambulance and search and rescue teams were called to the site after his workmate flagged down a passing motorist, who raised the alarm around 5pm.
Whakatane Police sergeant Dennis Foster said the injured worker had ended up on a ridge about 50m above State Highway 2, and the Whakatane Emergency Rescue Team were tasked with the dangerous extraction.
Making matters worse, the weather had "deteriorated dramatically", he said.
