A person who fell on steep coastal rocks at Moki Point near Taylors Mistake on Sunday afternoon prompted a swift multi-agency rescue, with Coastguard Sumner on scene within minutes of being tasked.
The call came through at 12.31pm on Sunday 4 January, when Canterbury Police contacted Coastguard Sumner following the incident at the exposed headland. Moki Point sits just one bay from the Sumner base, meaning rescue crews were able to get underway almost immediately.
The HamiltonJet Rescue vessel was in the water within eight minutes of the tasking, with the Ian Dewe Rescue jet ski following shortly behind. Three Coastguard volunteers went ashore on arrival to reach the casualty, who was found on rocks at the base of the cliff line.
Suspected spinal injuries meant the situation was treated as serious from the outset. A Westpac Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to the scene, and Taylors Mistake Surf Life Saving Club also mobilised, sending patrollers and an inflatable rescue boat to assist.
A local GP who happened to be nearby joined the effort, working alongside Coastguard volunteers, Surf Life Savers, and the helicopter's flight paramedic to stabilise the patient. The combined team spent around 30 minutes on scene securing the casualty and preparing for extraction.
Once placed on a stretcher, the patient was winched clear of the rocks in a controlled helicopter operation before being flown to hospital for further treatment.
The rescue drew on the resources and expertise of several agencies: Coastguard New Zealand, Taylors Mistake Surf Life Saving Club, New Zealand Police, Sumner Volunteer Fire Brigade, and Hato Hone St John.
After returning from the operation, Coastguard vessels were cleaned down and brought back to full readiness. Coastguard Sumner has passed on its best wishes to the casualty for their recovery.
