Hectic week includes bush landing and trek

Apr 30 2024

The Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team called on their bushcraft skills with a weekend search that involved multiple landings, an on-foot river crossing, and a hike out of the forest.

Dispatched by the NZ Rescue Coordination Centre just before 2pm on Saturday, the team headed to Whirinaki Forest Park — in the Whakatāne district — in response to the activation of a personal locator beacon.

A family on their third and final day walking the Waterfall Loop Track had pushed the button after a 16-year-old girl suffered a medical event.

“As they were in dense bush we planned to winch her out but because of the power limitations of our helicopter, we first landed on nearby farmland to offload some gear,” said Eastland Rescue base manager/critical care flight paramedic Richard Curtis.

“As it turned out the family moved to a different location so we were able to land, cross a river to get to the patient, then walk her and her father for two kilometres up to the road.

“But if her condition had deteriorated and winching was necessary, that offload could have cost us valuable time.”

The Eastland Rescue Helicopter service is in line to get the use of an alternative BK-117 helicopter through its operating company Search and Rescue Services Ltd.

However, that process has been delayed as the aircraft has been needed for use in the wider SRSL operation.

“When the replacement helicopter does arrive it will really support our work as it has more power, a longer winch line and winch capacity of over 270 kilograms,” Mr Curtis says.

“That extra grunt and winch capacity is critical to our operations so we’re really looking forward to achieving that.”

The Whirinaki rescue was part of a hectic schedule for the Eastland Rescue Helicopter, which completed 11 missions in the seven days from Monday, April 22.