What began as a two-day adventure bike ride along the Timber Trail quickly became a life-threatening emergency.
Craig and his friends had cycled about 40 kilometres through the remote forest the previous day. Setting out on the second day a few km’s in Craig began to feel unwell.
“At first, I thought I just needed a rest,” Craig recalls. “I told the others to go on ahead and said I’d catch up with them at the bridge.”
But Craig never made it.
As time passed, Craig’s friends grew concerned. Two of them rode back along the trail to find him. When they did, it was clear something was seriously wrong. Craig had been vomiting and was struggling to speak.
His friend Stu knew they needed urgent help. With no immediate road access, he raced back to the nearby lodge and called 111.
“They told me an ambulance was on its way,” Stu says. “But it would take nearly two and a half hours just to reach the trailhead, and then another 45 minutes on foot to get to Craig.”
Time was critical.
Stu and a lodge staff member grabbed a defibrillator, first aid kit, and blankets, and hurried back along the trail to keep Craig warm and monitored while they waited.
Then they heard it - the unmistakable sound of helicopter blades overhead.
“It was just like the movies,” Stu remembers. “It was nerve-wracking, but exciting at the same time.”
The crew of the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter had been dispatched. Within minutes of landing, the critical care team assessed Craig, stabilised him, and prepared him for urgent transport.
Craig was airlifted directly to Waikato Hospital, where he received the specialist cardiac care he needed.
Thanks to the quick actions of his friends, the availability of emergency equipment, and the speed and skill of the rescue helicopter and its crew, Craig made a full recovery.
Looking back, Craig knows how different the outcome could have been.
In remote locations like the Timber Trail, where road access is limited and time is critical, the rescue helicopter provides a vital lifeline - bringing advanced medical care directly to patients, and transporting them to hospital without delay.
For Craig and his friends, the sound of the helicopter that day is something they will never forget.
Because you never know when you'll need your rescue helicopter. Donate today > https://give.rescue.org.nz/event/waikato-westpac-rescue-helicopter/donate
