Helicopter rescue 180 nautical miles off Northland

A well-planned mercy dash to airlift a sick cruise ship passenger 180 nautical miles off Northland ended with the man safely in Whangarei Hospital and the region's rescue helicopter with 10 minutes flight fuel left.

The dramatic long-distance rescue saw the Northland Electricity rescue helicopter's limits tested after a call for help to evacuate an elderly American man from the cruise liner Seabourn Odyssey after his medical condition worsened.

Meticulous planning by the experienced rescue crew over the two days before yesterday's early morning flight, off the east coast, is being credited with the successful mission.

An 85-year-old passenger from Oklahoma and his wife were winched on to the rescue helicopter as dawn broke and flown to Whangarei Hospital.

Late yesterday, he was in a stable condition on a ward.

The couple joined the 31-day cruise in Los Angeles and were to leave the ship in Sydney, after a stop in the Bay of Islands today.

The National Rescue Co-ordination Centre contacted the Northland-based Electricity Rescue helicopter team on Sunday after the passenger became acutely unwell after being ill for five days. At that stage, the vessel was 965 nautical miles off the coast.

Pilots Pete Turnbull and Russell Procter calculated the liner would be in range by yesterday morning after taking into consideration the weather and fuel requirements.

The rescue team left Whangarei about 4.20am and landed at Tutukaka where they refuelled and continued north east out to sea arriving above the liner about 5.50am.

Flying above the helicopter was a fixed wing plane which was a safety precaution and acted as the communication link between the rescue crew and Auckland Air Traffic Control.

Mr Procter said that, at the altitude the helicopter was flying, there was no ability to have communication with land so the plane was a safety measure.

Once the ship was spotted, her captain steered it into position and a flight paramedic was lowered onto the bow.

The sick man was lifted first followed by the couple's baggage and then his wife.

Some of the 450 passengers and 330 crew lined the decks, some in their robes, watching the successful airlift.

"Everything went to plan ... there were no surprises. We had full trust in the team and the aircraft," Mr Procter said.

"It was a good job done by all. It was well co-ordinated with the crew on Seabourn Odyssey and it was a seamless process."

He said the couple had to have valid passports and visas with them for the airlift to be completed.

St John intensive care paramedic Mark Going said the man had been treated on board the ship but medical staff had decided the man needed to be evacuated. Once in the helicopter, he was given a check over and monitored constantly throughout the flight to Whangarei.

"His wife said the last time he flew in a helicopter was during World War II," Mr Going said.

The Seabourn Odyssey, which its owners have labelled the most luxurious ever, visited Russell during its inaugural 108-day world cruise in February 2010.

The 32,000-tonne ship was launched in June 2009, with fares costing up to US$50,000 ($62,000) per person for the maiden voyage.