Police slam 'stupidity' after rescues

A German tourist was rescued by helicopter from a cliff at Cape Kidnappers after walking down the face and getting lost near the Clifton Motor Camp last week. Photo / Glenn Taylor

Hawke's Bay Police are urging people to use common sense outdoors after the recent "stupidity" of two people put rescuers' lives at risk during dangerous rescue missions.

A German tourist in his twenties was winched off the side of a cliff face into a rescue helicopter near Clifton last week after deciding to take an apparent shortcut down a bluff during a walk to Cape Kidnappers.

Last month, the same rescue team - a St John paramedic and the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter crew - came to the aid of a sailor whose yacht was floundering in heavy seas 50 nautical miles out from Cape Kidnappers.

Eastern police operations manager Inspector Mike O'Leary said both rescues were "extremely dangerous" and had put rescuers' lives at risk. They were also both avoidable and would not have happened if common sense had prevailed.

"In both instances the victims had put themselves in very precarious situations that basically came down to a lack of planning and failure to make the right decisions."

In the sea rescue last month, the sailor continued on his journey despite failing equipment, horrendous weather and an inability to swim.

He panicked during attempts to winch him off his boat, which resulted in complicating the 30-minute rescue.

The German tourist made the wrong decision when he decided to try to climb down a near sheer cliff face to take a short cut. He ended up stuck and unable to move on a thin ledge. When he called for help on his cellphone he told police he was injured but was later found to be not injured at all.

"There is considerable cost involved in these rescues and when lives are at stake, cost is never a factor," Mr O'Leary said. "But it is extremely frustrating when through sheer stupidity, thousands of dollars are wasted and lives are unnecessarily put at risk because of one person's foolishness or lack of preparation and planning."

The hourly rate for the rescue chopper was unavailable but the airborne rescue service operation cost $2.2 million a year to run, a spokesman said.