The Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter was dispatched by the Rescue Coordination Centre to locate the source of a beacon that had been activated in the vicinity of Arete Hut in the Tararua Ranges.
Upon arrival, the crew spotted a man at the bottom of a scree slope. Due to the inaccessible location of the man, the onboard Intensive Care Paramedic was winched down to ascertain his condition. It was found that the man was in his 60’s and had fallen and twisted his knee and would have been unable to extricate himself from the area.
The team winched the man and his equipment to the helicopter and he was flown to Masterton Hospital where he was treated for his injury.