Make-A-Wish helps sick Whangārei kids get bucket list ride in Northland rescue chopper

Carl Wogan (fourth from the left) and Lisa Brown (third from the right) took to the skies with their families in the Northland rescue chopper. Photo / Supplied

SUP08122020NESTCarl.JPG Carl Wogan, 13, had his dream to ride a helicopter ticked off his bucket list. Photo / Supplied

"Scary" is how Whangārei school boy Carl Wogan described his first helicopter ride in the Northland rescue chopper.

Well, the first whirl in a helicopter that didn't include lifesaving trips to Auckland as a baby.

Thirteen-year-old Wogan was born with a medical condition which meant the opportunity to enjoy life's adventures was "absolutely golden", dad Shane said.

Wogan was joined by 11-year-old Lisa Brown, both flanked by siblings and their dads, on a golden hour tour of Whangārei's east coast as part of a collaboration between the Northland Emergency Services Trust and the Make-A-Wish Foundation New Zealand, a charity that fulfils the wishes of young Kiwis with terminal illnesses.

The Kamo Intermediate School student said while he wanted to be a gamer before he became a pilot, going on a chopper was a bucket list item.

"I always wanted to go on the helicopter so I could see the ocean. It was pretty cool."

Carl Wogan, 13, had his dream to ride a helicopter ticked off his bucket list. Photo / Supplied

Wogan's dad, Shane, said his son looked pretty serious as the chopper to-and-froed as it took to life in Onerahi.

But during the hour-long flight that swooped around the peaks of Mt Manaia and along the stretch of Ocean Beach's golden sand in Whangārei Heads, a usually shy Wogan really came to life.

"He wanted to play with all the buttons. He had the helmet on with the microphone but was too busy looking out of the window at the view," Shane said.

Brown, a Huanui College student, said the view from the chopper was "beautiful".

"We circled around Mount Manaia and went over my friend's place. I had always wanted to go in a helicopter."

Shane said he was grateful for the memorable day that was an "awesome" gift from NEST and Make-A-Wish for the children.