A son's seven-hour walk to get help may have been crucial in the survival of his 50-year-old father, who started having chest problems while on a hunting trip near Gisborne.
The man was airlifted from the isolated Makakoere Hut, about 70 kilometres inland from Matawai off Moanui Road, to Gisborne Hospital at around 6.30pm on Saturday.
The pair was on a hunting trip when the father started to have "fluctuating chest pains".
Detective Sergeant Wayne Beattie said the son left his father at the hut so he could get help.
When the son reached a phone seven hours later, he contacted emergency services immediately.