Firefighters prepping for an emergency rescue training session swung into action to help a man suspected to have fallen an estimated 50m down a cliff.
Police and St John paramedics rushed to join a group of firefighters at Paranui Falls in AH Reed Memorial Park in Whangarei about 3pm on Monday while a helicopter arrived shortly after to airlift the injured person.
The man was winched up into a helicopter and flown to the Whangarei Hospital in a critical condition.
St John acting district operations manager Wally Mitchell said the man had multiple injuries and it was best to winch him rather than carry him to a waiting ambulance.
Fire Service area commander Whangarei and Kaipara Brad Mosby said two teams of eight firefighters were preparing for their routine emergency rescue training by the Paranui Falls' carpark when they were told about the injured man.