A man impaled himself on a tree while out for a run on Kawau Island on the weekend.
The Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust were called to the island for a man in his early 20s with a stick in his neck.
A helicopter crewman said the man was running through a bush area when he hit a tree.
"A stick on the tree went into his neck missing all major arteries, it went in roughly half an inch, this is just an estimate," the crewman said.
He was in a serious condition when the helicopter crew treated him.
