A man who was swept 100m down the Rakaia River will be thanking his lucky stars after being airlifted to safety.
The Canterbury Air Rescue Helicopter attended the incident at about 12pm today.
A spokesman said the man was with a group of people all taking part in walking New Zealand's Te Araroa trail, a 3000km route from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
As they attempted to cross the river, the man was swept away until he was able to climb on to a bank where he activated a safety locator beacon.
