A woman is safe and on her way to hospital thanks to the communications equipment that was being carried by a group she was canoeing with.
A group of 16 people hired canoes from Matai Canoe in Ohakune yesterday and, accompanied by a guide, headed out for a three-day trip along the Whanganui River. They were making their way towards John Coull Hut when a woman in her 50s overturned her canoe. She began suffering from the wet and cold so the group decided to stop overnight at Oakura.
This morning the group were still concerned for the woman's hypothermic condition so they activated a locator beacon around 9.22am. As a result of this activation Police and the Rescue Coordination Centre were alerted to the distress call and the Taranaki Rescue helicopter was quickly able to locate and airlift the woman to hospital.
The rest of the group are continuing their trip.
Sgt Colin Wright of Whanganui Police said: "This is an excellent example of how being well-equipped on tramping or river trips can prevent serious injury or loss of life. Without that locator beacon we may have found ourselves dealing with a very different and more grave scenario."