Rocky 20 hours after fall

Gary O'Neill is recovering in North Shore hospital from his ordeal. Photo / Janna Dixon

Gary O'Neill lay badly injured and trapped on rocky mudflats next to his houseboat for more than 20 hours, seething with newfound hatred for fried chicken.

The 61-year-old is in North Shore Hospital with a broken knee and eye socket, four broken ribs and four broken bones in his back after falling 2.5m on to mudflats on the Whau River, in West Auckland, three weeks ago. It was more than 20 hours before workers heard his cries for help.

He fell after a railing next to the plank to his houseboat gave way as he returned from buying takeaways, O'Neill said. The meal landed out of reach, but that didn't worry him. "I'd gone off KFC for life by that stage. I will never have it again."

He dragged himself into nearby mangroves to stay above the rising tide. A waterproof vest protected him and surprised ambulance officers found his temperature was normal when they arrived, O'Neill said.

His main concern was that he had nothing to drink, with light showers offering little relief.

He didn't bother calling for help on the first day, knowing no one would be around on a Sunday.

On Monday, he knew he had to attract attention. "I had resigned myself to the fact that if they didn't find me on Monday ... they'd be bringing me out in a bag."

O'Neill is determined to return to his rented houseboat.

Mates were already building him a new, safer rail, he said.

The Perth native moved to New Zealand 15 years ago and had several Cash Converter stores before "getting out" of the business a few years ago.

"Now, I'm quite happy listening to the birds at 4.30 in the morning. It's not so beautiful when you're jumping into a whole heap of rocks, though."