Worker tumbles 40m from Mount summit

The maintenance worker is loaded into the rescue helicopter on the summit of Mt Maunganui after his fall down the rock face. Photo / Alan Gibson

A 63-year-old council contractor survived a 40m plunge down a sheer rock face from the peak of Mt Maunganui.

He was pulled to safety by firefighters after the difficult terrain in which he landed thwarted two other rescue attempts.

He suffered face, eye, arm, leg and torso injuries but last night was in a stable condition in Tauranga Hospital.

The contractor was pushing a half-tonne powered wheelbarrow to clear a walking track at the top of the mountain when the machine toppled over the northern edge.

He walked to the edge to peer down, tripped and fell onto scrub and rocks.

Firefighters, ambulance staff and police were called out just before 4pm and went to the peak in four-wheel-drives.

A TrustPower rescue helicopter was called in, and landed at the top of the 232m summit at sunset.

Senior Station Officer Mark Keller of the Tauranga Fire Service and a paramedic walked through bush to reach the contractor.

He had been incredibly lucky to survive the fall, Mr Keller said.

The dense scrub meant he could not be carried out by foot, and tree cover prevented the rescue helicopter lifting him out.

Ropes and pulleys were set up to winch two firefighters in a basket down to the man and bring him out.

Mr Keller said the team had only that day finished training to do the procedure, and had at first thought the call-out was a joke.

The paramedic tended to the man until he was put into the rescue helicopter and flown out at 5.30pm.