Wellington coast rescue

Photo / File

A man had to be winched from the rocks on Wellington's south coast after his boat capsized last night.

The man was reported to be stuck on the rocks between Lyall Bay and Houghton Bay after his small boat capsized about 8pm.

A Life Flight rescue swimmer was lowered to the rocks from the Westpac rescue helicopter and the pair was winched up to the helicopter.

The helicopter then landed in a parking area where the man was dropped off to police.

The man was cold and wet but was otherwise uninjured.

Life Flight crewman Dave Greenberg said the team could not have had a rescue closer to its base at Wellington Airport, which is also at Lyall Bay.

"We were on the scene within 10 minutes of receiving the call and had the man on dry ground shortly after that."