Rescuers pull man from blowhole

Muriwai beach on the west coast of Auckland. Photo / NZHerald / Richard Robinson

A man who fell into a blowhole at Auckland's Muriwai Beach has been airlifted to hospital after a difficult rescue tonight.

St John Ambulance operations team manager Patsy Carlyle said rescuing the man had been "extremely challenging''.

A doctor who was among the first responders on the scene took pictures of the man's injuries.

He then sent the pictures to nearby St John paramedics to determine what response was needed to rescue the man from the blowhole.

Ms Carlyle said the Fire Service's high angle rescue team was then called in from Auckland.

"They were able to extricate the man from his position and get him to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. It was a great team effort in very challenging conditions.''

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter airlifted the man, aged in his 30s, to Auckland Hospital.