A hurt motorcyclist who spent the night lying beside his machine in sandhills on Auckland's west coast was found yesterday morning.
The man waved to the Eagle police helicopter at South Head about 8.30am and he was picked up by the Westpac rescue helicopter.
The 42-year-old, who had leg and
pelvis injuries, made a cellphone call on Tuesday night to a relative but his phone cut out before he could say where he was.
Police had searched all night and were becoming increasingly worried about the man's condition.
Westpac helicopter crewman Ernie Bryant said the man probably fell off his motorcycle about midday Tuesday yesterday but could not move because of his injuries.
He survived 20 hours, first in the hot sun and then in the cold of the night, before the police helicopter found him in a remote gully on the northern end of Muriwai Beach.
He said searching police and Westpac helicopters had flown over the area before but had failed to spot the man on the infrared heat-seeking gear until shortly after first light.
The man tried several times to call for help during the day on his cellphone but could not make a connection from the remote area.
Mr Bryant said when he tried again last night atmospheric conditions had improved.
He reached a family member and the police were called.
"It is needle in a haystack stuff and you are trying to find a motorbike in amongst a huge area. It is very easy to miss people and he was in amongst two low-lying dunes, so it would be very easy from the air to be on the wrong angle and miss him all together," Mr Bryant said.
He said the man was dressed in motorcycle leathers and had dehydrated after lying in the hot sun before the cold of the night.
The police helicopter landed first and called Westpac. When they reached the man he was in good condition but could not move and still lay where he was when he fell off.
"He was conscious and alert and talking to us. He couldn't get up."
The man was flown to North Shore Hospital.
- NZPA
