An 80-year-old man who became badly dehydrated while he was tramping in Te Urewera National Park had to be airlifted to hospital on Sunday night.
The man was rescued by the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter after it was alerted to an emergency beacon in the Lake Waikaremoana area about 10.30pm.
The helicopter crew narrowed the emergency beacon's location to the Sandy Bay Hut at the northern end of Lake Waikareiti, north of Lake Waikaremoana.
The hut is about a four-hour walk from the road.
A rescue helicopter spokeswoman said the landing site was challenging and the light was poor, but the helicopter was able to land in a tight space between the lake and the hut using night-vision goggles and a large spotlight.
