The Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Omaio, a small settlement on the East Cape, at 6:30pm on Sunday 18 December, to a 35-year-old male who had been climbing on the rocks and slipped.
The man fell several metres and sustained a serious leg injury. Due to no phone coverage he lay on the rocks for approximately three hours before being found.
The rescue helicopter landed on a flat area on the rocks near the patient, where he was stabilised by St John Paramedics. He was flown to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.
The helicopter was called due to the remote location and distance from the required hospital.