Missing woman Suzanne Holmes found safe in Te Urewera

Holmes was winched to safety aboard the BayTrust Rescue Helicopter. Photo/Supplied

A 49-year-old Whakatane woman who had been missing in Te Uruwera for a week has been found safe.

Search teams entered the Te Urewera area today where Suzanne Holmes was found on a walking track, police said in a statement.

Holmes was reported missing last week, with police saying href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11890841" target="_blank">they had "grave concerns" for her wellbeing.

The BayTrust Rescue Helicopter helped in the search for Ms Holmes, who had gone missing in dense bush near Lion Hut.

Lion Hut is about 80km east of Rotorua in the northern part of the Te Urewera National Park.

NZ Police LandSAR had been combing the area for days on foot. Today was the second aerial search conducted by the BayTrust Rescue Helicopter.

Once Ms Holmes was found she was winched aboard the helicopter and flown to hospital in a comfortable condition.

She was safe but was taken to Whakatane Hospital for assessment.