A passenger has been winched from a cruise ship 120km off the coast of Northland after becoming unwell.
The Northland Rescue Helicopter took off from Whangārei around 1.15pm to pick up the person from the ship northeast of the Bay of Islands.
Once the crew consisting of pilot Sue Dinkelacker, co-pilot Alex Hunt, winch operator Josh Raravula and critical care paramedic Emma Haggarty arrived, Haggerty was lowered to the vessel to retrieve the passenger. The pair were then winched up into the rescue chopper.
The passenger was taken to Whangārei Hospital.
The Pacific Explorer had recently left the Bay of Islands after arriving on September 10 carrying 1998 passengers.
