KEY POINTS:
Auckland's Westpac rescue helicopter has flown a record 186 missions this summer, costing almost $700,000.
Staff at the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust, which runs the helicopter, say the number of callouts from December 1 to February 29 were the highest since records began in 2002.
Chief executive officer Rea Wikaira told the Herald that no particular type of incident had been on the rise, and the season's increase was due to a long, dry summer.
"This is one of the biggest playgrounds in the world per capita," he said of the wider Auckland region.
"The good weather brings people out to do all sorts of things and they have accidents or medical episodes.
"As most rescue services do notice, if you have a minimum of two really nice, fine days then our workload goes up. If the third is hosing down or whatever it all slows up again," Mr Wikaira said.
More people were involved in activities such as boating, swimming, mountain biking and surfing in fine weather, and with that came an increase in injuries, searches for people, and car use and crashes.
Hotspots for the helicopter include crash black-spots on State Highway 1 at the Dome Valley north of Warkworth and on State Highway 2 at Mangatawhiri.
Rescues regularly occur of people at Auckland's west coast beaches and of boaties in the Hauraki Gulf.
Callouts to Waiheke also rose as the population increased during summer.
At a cost of $5000 an hour, the service has notched up 129.9 flying hours this summer, totalling $649,500.
The service attends on average 500 incidents every year.
