A teenager lost part of his fingers when an "unknown object" exploded when he picked it up on a farm at Te Awaiti.
The teen was the centre of a mercy dash to the South Wairarapa coast late on Wednesday afternoon.
He was transferred to Hutt Hospital for surgery on his hand.
The
17-year-old Aucklander lost part of at least two fingers.
A Life Flight rescue helicopter with a Wellington paramedic on board was rushed to the coast after being alerted to the incident, which happened about 2pm.
It is thought the youth, who was spending time on the farm, picked up an object he said looked like a cartridge.
Life Flight crewman Dave Greenberg said the injured man had made his way back to the farm homestead, alerting a person who telephoned 111 and who helped stem the flow of blood until the rescue helicopter arrived.
The paramedic stabilised the injured man and prepared him for the flight to Wellington Hospital's emergency department.
At Wellington Hospital he was treated for his injuries and further assessed.
Mr Greenberg said yesterday the person who had first helped the injured man had managed to stem the blood flow before the helicopter's arrival but the patient had been in a lot of pain.
