An adventurer was plucked from a rock in the Coromandel Forest Park after she fell nearly 10 metres into water.
Video / Auckland Rescue Helicopter
A stranded adventurer has been plucked from a rock in the Coromandel Forest Park, this afternoon after they fell nearly 10 metres into the water while canyoning.
Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter said that at around 2.25pm, a crew was tasked by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre to assist a stranded femalepatient in her forties who fell approximately 8m into the water while canyoning.
“She managed to extricate herself on to a rock and a beacon was activated,” the service said in a statement.
In a video seen by the Herald, the helicopter flew across the dense park and found a group of adventurers located on a rock, next to a waterfall.
A rescuer was winched down to assist the injured canoeist and 17 minutes later, after circling the site, crew members successfully winched her up to the aircraft.
The Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter rescued a woman who fell while canyoning in the Coromandel Forest Park Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust
“The patient needed to be extracted by winch from a height of 70 feet [21m] and she was flown to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition,” the rescue service said.
Today’s rescue adds to another busy season for Westpac Rescue Helicopters in the North Island.
Two fishermen were involved in a dramatic rescue from rocks at Sunset Beach in Port Waikato at the end of last month.
Crew from the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter were called out at about 12.30pm to assist with the search and rescue of two fishermen, believed to be in their fifties, who were trapped on a rock and close to being swept away.
Photos of the rescue show churning white water and large waves washing over the rocks while the men clung on for their lives.
Those missions included over 400 inter-hospital transfers, more than 100 medical missions, 77 rural or remote incidents, 47 motor vehicle accidents, six rescues and 93 other missions.
