Busy week for the Greenlea Helicopter

The Taupo Based Greenlea Rescue helicopter was dispatched to the Pureora forest on saturday afternoon.

A woman cycling the Timber tail with a group fell from her bike about 10km from the end of the trail.

A group unassociated with the mountain bikers discovered them and aided them by setting off their PLB. The beacon signal was picked up by the RCCNZ and the Greenlea Helicopter was tasked to assist.

The PLB owners then helped transport the patient on their quadbike, to the helicopter, which was fortunate to be able to land nearby at the only clearing for many km's.

The woman in her fifties was flown to waikato hospital with spinal injuries.

On Monday afternoon the Helicopter was called to the central plateau to transport a man with a serious medical condition to Waikato Hospital.

Further to...

On Friday the heli was also dispatched to another job where a PLB had been set off. This time on a part of the Tongariro crossing in which there was no cell phone coverage. Shortly after setting off the beacon and after walking some distance, one of the members of the party was able to make telephone communication with the emergency services.

However it is indicative of the fact that more and more people are carrying and using personal locating beacon than ever before.

The woman injured on the Tongariro crossing was flown to Rotorua with a fractured ankle.

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