Climber gives back to Nepal

Kent Hutchins (rear), with his helper Ramkrishna Timalsina, is raising money for the people in Mr Timalsina's quake-stricken village.

Kent Hutchins was 4000m above sea level when he collapsed.

The Hastings man's trek to Everest Base Camp was cut short as he was stricken with severe viral gastroenteritis, or stomach flu.

A sherpa guide carried him 200m to the rescue helicopter's landing site, and he was airlifted to a Kathmandu hospital.

He spent three days recovering before he travelled back to New Zealand, just one day before a magnitude 7.8 earthquake ravaged the country - flattening buildings and killing more than 8000 people.

If he hadn't fallen ill, he would have been making his descent from Everest Base Camp at the time the quake hit.

"That night (in Hastings) I flicked the news on and saw what had happened. I felt absolutely sick having seen how unstable the infrastructure is, and having been witness to the nature of the people - they're amazing people," he said.

He wanted to give something back to the Nepali people who rescued him when he was weak with illness.

"They're just incredible - they went well beyond what they needed to do that night," he said.

He has set up a Givealittle page to raise funds for the earthquake-relief effort. A man who had come to his aid, Ramkrishna Timalsina, was working to rebuild his home village of Achhane, distributing food and medicines and assisting with demolition and construction. It was a message from Mr Timalsina describing the destruction of his hometown that spurred Mr Hutchins to set up his fundraising page.

"The amazing people who helped me when I needed it are now in need of help themselves."