Two men have been plucked to safety by Taupo's Greenlea Rescue Helicopter after being stranded on rocks in the middle of a raging river for about three hours.
The helicopter was called by the rescue co-ordination centre after they received a signal from a personal locating beacon on Friday night.
The beacon came from the upper reaches of the Motu river and had been set off by two kayakers.
Using the co-ordinates provided by the centre, the helicopter crew were able to find the pair via the strobe light on the beacon.
The two men were in a narrow section of the river with the hills on either side rising steeply. Having descended to the river level the crew hover loaded two LandSAR members onto the rocks.