A man suffered serious spinal injuries when he crashed a motocross bike into a tree while taking part in a Bay of Plenty trail ride event.
The Tauranga-based Trustpower TECT rescue helicopter was dispatched to Lake Matahina, 30km southwest of Whakatane, following the crash today.
The helicopter crew flew a 56-year-old man from Waimana, southeast of Whakatane, directly to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital.
In a separate incident, a 46-year-old man was injured when he fell from his bike during a motocross event in Taupo.
The Taupo-based Greenlea rescue helicopter was dispatched to Kuratau, on the southwestern shore of the lake, at 3pm.
