Teenager injured in Cathedral Cove cliff jump

A teenage girl has been flown to hospital after jumping off a cliff and landing badly on the Coromandel Peninsula.

At 2pm today the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Cathedral Cove to assist the girl who had suffered suspected spinal injuries.

She was flown to Auckland City Hospital in a moderate condition.

Caleb van Essen, a bystander at the beach told the Herald the girl jumped off a 10-12m cliff with a group of friends and injured her back and neck.

"I didn't personally see her jump off, I saw a group of people jump off," he said.

"I was in the water at the time. I had seen people in previous years jump off but thought it was a bit dangerous.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter at Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust

"You have to jump a good 3m out to clear the rock, and they are jumping off a 12m high section of the cliff."

Van Essen then heard people talking about someone being injured and saw a girl had been laid flat on a surfboard.

"A person came around the corner and cleared the beach, saying there was a Westpac Helicopter coming. About 20 minutes later the helicopter swooped in and they transferred her from the surfboard to a proper stretcher with a neck brace," he said.

Van Essen said people continued to jump off the cliff after the girl was airlifted away in the helicopter.

"I definitely wouldn't do it myself but I can see why people do it because it is quite adventurous, but also quite dangerous."

He said it was high tide at the time of the incident so the water was quite deep.

"But at that height, if you land wrong, it would be quite easy for the shock to do your back in," he said.