Chopper rescue for Eketahuna riders

Two people were injured in motorcycle crashes near Pahiatua during the weekend.

An Eketahuna man in his 50s was taken to hospital after a crash during a motorcycle competition in Kaitawa on Sunday.

The man was working as a marshal when his motorcycle crashed down a steep bank. He suffered multiple injuries.

Due to the inaccessible location, a rescue helicopter airlifted the man to Palmerston North Hospital.

Later that afternoon, a Wanganui man in his 50s was injured when he lost control of the road bike he was riding, crashing through a fence and down a bank.

The group he was riding with had to retrace their tracks to find him. The injured man was also airlifted to Palmerston North, with moderate injuries.