Kitesurfer injured after hitting rocks

A 25-year-old man is in critical condition in hospital after a kitesurfing accident on Lake Taupo at the weekend.

Byron Smith, of Taupo, was kitesurfing on the lake with a friend on Saturday when a strong gust of wind slammed him into rocks near the shoreline off Three Mile Bay.

He was knocked unconscious and was taken to Taupo hospital by ambulance, from where he was airlifted to Waikato Hospital.

Waikato hospital spokeswoman Mary Anne Gill said Mr Smith remained in a critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit last night, in an induced coma.

- NZPA