A woman has been injured after being hit by a tumbling boulder on Mt Ngauruhoe.
It was one of three jobs the Taupo-based Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to yesterday.
The first involved the pre-dawn transfer of a Central Plateau resident to Waikato Hospital for urgent treatment relating to a medical event.
Late morning the helicopter was dispatched to the aid of a young woman climbing Mt Ngauruhoe who, through no fault of her own, was struck by a tumbling boulder. She suffered hand and leg injuries.
Ruapehu Alpine Rescue team members (blue/yellow helmets in photo) were flown to her aid and helped load her into the hovering helicopter from the steeply sided mountain.