A team of rescuers have saved a calf from being swept to its death in Kāpiti's Ōtaki River.
The SPCA's National Rescue Unit (NRU) was called to the Ōtaki Forks area of the river on Wednesday by rafting company Captivate Adventures.
The rafting company had spotted a calf on the edge of the river, the day before, which appeared to have fallen down a bank.
But the next day, after a night of heavy rain, the calf was seen again, but this time about 200m down the river perched precariously on a narrow ledge about a metre long and half a metre wide.
With more rain expected the company contacted the rescue unit, who mobilised a team, and who contacted the Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT) because of the likelihood of sedating the calf.