Emergency beacon saves tramper's life

Taking a rescue beacon on a tramp saved a diabetic man's life this weekend.

Taking an emergency beacon with him on a tramp saved a diabetic man's life this weekend.

The man was part of a group which was tramping at Lake McKerrow on the remote Hollyford track in Fiordland when he suffered a diabetes-related medical event.

His tramping party set off a New Zealand-registered beacon just after 6am on Sunday.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre of New Zealand received the distress alert and sent the Mt Aspiring rescue chopper to the scene.

The paramedic onboard the helicopter managed to stabilise the man, who was rushed to Queenstown Hospital for further treatment.

"Apparently he was in a really bad way when the paramedic arrived," a Maritime New Zealand spokesman said.

Without the beacon the group wouldn't have been able to call for help because the area was so isolated.

The incident highlighted the importance of carrying a beacon when going tramping, the spokesman said.