Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter/Supplied
With summer in full swing, visitors and locals alike have been hitting the outdoors, sometimes a little too hard.
The Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter has finished 2023 with 437 missions flown, slightly higher than the previous year when the service flew a total of 405 missions.
Over the holiday period from December 23 until January 2, they flew a total of 18 missions across Te Tauihu.
Local and visitors to the region have been enjoying the region with the rescue helicopter flying into holiday hotspots such as Ligar Bay, Marahua, Anakiwi, Takaka and Okiwi Bay.
More remote areas such as Castle Rock Hut, Brown Hut, Hacket Creek, Crail Bay, Aniseed Valley, Mutton Cove and Hukere Creek Cascade Track seeing them utilising the winch and night vision goggles.
There was a great outcome for a multi-agency rescue where a kayaker was saved thanks to him utilising a personal locator beacon.
Many of the places mentioned in this story don’t have mobile coverage and the crew encourage you to carry a personal locator beacon with you when you are on the tracks or out on the water as it makes it a lot easier for these agencies to help you.
The Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter service is funded in part by the community for the community and remains a free service thanks to this support.
If you would like to support this lifesaving service, please donate online www.helirescue.co.nz or track live at www.helirescue.co.nz/live-tracking/
Holiday Round Up
Missions completed: 18; winch use: 2; night vision goggles use: 3; total mission 2023: 437
