KEY POINTS:
A Wellington woman was rescued last night after tipping out of her kayak on the Kuratau River.
Taupo police Senior Constable Barry Shepherd said the 50-year-old woman started her solo trip on the river about 1pm and intended to paddle from near the Kuratau Hydro Lake to Lake Taupo about 4km away.
"While trying to negotiate rapids about 500 metres into her trip she fell out," he said.
"She got to the riverbank, then abandoned the kayak, but took her paddle and buoyancy vest with her and attempted to trek through bush back to the start."
By 6pm friends reported her overdue, so the Taupo police using the Lion Foundation rescue helicopter made a search of the river.
Mr Shepherd said the woman's orange and white 3m-long kayak was found just before 7pm, still in the river. The woman was found soon afterwards, standing in the bush waving her paddle at the helicopter crew.
She was winched out and reunited with her friends at Omori, where they are holidaying.
Apart from a few scratches and being a little cold, and despite wearing only jandals, shorts and a singlet, the woman was none the worse for her ordeal, Mr Shepherd said.
- NZPA
