Six flights in 24 hours: Taupō's Greenlea rescue helicopter beats a path to Waikato

The Greenlea rescue helicopter at the scene of a road crash near Murupara last month. Photo / Supplied

Taupō's Greenlea rescue helicopter beat a path back and forth to Waikato Hospital six times in 24 hours last week, an epic feat for the helicopter and its crew.

In the late afternoon of Tuesday, May 25, the rescue helicopter responded to a woman in her 30s who required urgent maternity transport. The onboard crew flew her from Taupō Hospital to Waikato Hospital.

The next day, they were tasked to transport a male patient in his 60s suffering a cardiac event that required urgent medical attention to Waikato Hospital. That same morning, after returning to Taupō, the crew took a woman in her 60s experiencing a cardiac event to Waikato. About noon the same day, the chopper was sent to Huka Falls Rd for a woman in her 80s who was suffering a cardiac event. She was flown to Waikato Hospital for further assessment.

That evening, the helicopter was dispatched to Taupō Hospital to transport a man in his 60s to Waikato Hospital following a cardiac event. Upon return, they were called out to Rotorua Hospital for a man in his 80s suffering a serious medical condition that required urgent transport. The patient was flown to Waikato Hospital.

However, trips between Taupō and Waikato were not the only jobs for the rescue helicopter during a busy time last month.

On Sunday, May 2, the Greenlea rescue helicopter responded to a male patient suffering from a medical condition at Tongariro National Park. The man was treated and taken to Waikato Hospital.

That evening, the crew was dispatched to Taupō Hospital to fly a patient in critical condition to Rotorua Hospital.

On Friday, May 14, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter attended to a patient following a vehicle crash in Awakino. The crew transported the patient to Taranaki Base Hospital. They were then tasked to fly a patient from Hawera Hospital to Waikato Hospital.

On Saturday, May 15, the rescue helicopter responded to a call-out to Taupō for a man suffering a medical event who was flown to Waikato Hospital.

On Sunday, May 16, the crew was sent to a serious vehicle crash near Murupara. In all, six patients required medical care at the scene and were flown to Rotorua Hospital. The same day, the helicopter crew attended to a motorcycle crash and took an injured person to Waikato Hospital.

In the afternoon of Thursday, May 20, the Greenlea helicopter was called to Taumarunui for a patient who had suffered burns during a house fire. The patient was taken to Waikato Hospital.