Protesters pushed a medical gurney along a rainy Taupo street this morning to oppose the proposed closure of a rescue helicopter base in the town.
The crowd of up to 1000 people of all ages turned out in Taupo to protest the possible axing of Taupo's Greenlea rescue helicopter.
Some carried a banner which read "if our chopper can't fly, more folk will die" others carried white crosses.
After marching approximately a kilometre in heavy rain from the Taupo Fire Station to the town centre, they gathered inside the Great Lake Centre for speeches.