Man seriously injured, rescued after falling 40m down cliff in Queenstown

A man was seriously injured after falling down a cliff in the early hours of the morning in Queenstown.

Emergency services were called to Gorge Rd near the Shotover River at 12.25am after someone saw the man fall down the cliff.

Police, fire and ambulance arrived at the scene and later the Wakatipu Search and Rescue were called in to assist.

The man was in audio contact with emergency services at points throughout the rescue.

"The man had been retrieved by 3.30am by the alpine cliff rescue team and was transported to hospital," a police spokesperson said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand southern shift manager Brent Dunn said the injured man was put onto a stretcher and brought back up the cliff by "manpower".

It was unclear how he fell down and the extent of his injuries.

A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said the patient was transported to Lakes District Hospital initially.

He was then transported to Dunedin Hospital by helicopter.