A 4-year-old boy and his mother spent a cold night at the bottom of a steep bank on the West Coast after he slid to the bottom yesterday and could not climb back out.
His mother also became trapped after trying to rescue him.
A fire and rescue team was called to a Ahaura property this morning to winch the boy to safety. It took more than 10 people to reach him, secure him to a stretcher and pull him back to the top.
Ngahere Volunteer Fire Brigade officer Deb Daly said the boy was playing with his dogs last night and followed them down a steep 6m bank. When he was unable to get back up his mother climbed down after him and got stuck herself. The pair spent a chilly night huddled outside with their five dogs.
This morning the woman managed to climb out and raised the alarm at 9.15am.
