A 76-year-old man had to be rescued by his hunting companion after he fell into a river and stopped breathing.
The Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Ruatahuna valley at 4.30pm where the hunter had fallen into a river, the Philips Search & Rescue Trust said in a statement.
His hunting companion pulled him from the river. He stopped breathing and CPR was successfully administered.
The helicopter landed at a camping ground in a steep valley and a St John paramedic assessed the patient before he was flown to Rotorua Hospital.
The main road into Ruatahuna has been washed out and has slips and no vehicle access to the valley for the next few days.
