Man rescued from Mt Ngāuruhoe reconnects with Whanganui helicopter pilot

Charlie Anderson (left) and Adam Currey meet for the first time since 1978 when helicopter pilot Anderson saved Currey on Mt Ngāuruhoe. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown

The last time Adam Currey saw Charlie Anderson was when he was rescued from Mt Ngāuruhoe by the helicopter pilot.

Last week the pair reunited in Whanganui after a series of coincidences led them to reconnect.

In December 1978, Currey, who was 19, was hiking Tongariro National Park’s Mt Ngāuruhoe when he fell and tumbled metres down the steep mountain.

Currey was slipping in and out of consciousness, and frightened with the evening approaching, when Anderson arrived in his helicopter and rescued him more than four hours after his fall.

Now a Whanganui district councillor, Anderson began his career at Alexander Helicopters and spent 40 years flying helicopters – racking up more than 20,000 hours in the air.

Anderson said Currey’s rescue was up there as one of his riskiest missions and recalled the words of Richmond Harding, his former boss at Wanganui Aero Work.

“He said to me, ‘we used to think what we did was normal, but it wasn’t’. Adam’s rescue was probably way on the wrong side of marginal.

“Situational awareness was the biggest thing with that job – folks freak out and start panicking. Stick to the plan, it will be okay and it was.

“It was all calculated risks.”

A news article about Charlie Anderson’s rescue of Adam Currey in 1978 on Mt Ngāuruhoe.

Aucklander Currey had organised a trip to Taranaki and Whanganui with his partner during 2024’s new year period and the date of December 28 came around.

“Every year, I think on December 28 – that was life and death for me,” he said.

“Whenever that date comes up, it’s my personal reflection.”

Currey saw an article about Anderson with his vintage cars on the Whanganui Chronicle website and recognised the name.

“I’m reading about these cars, I’m going ‘Charlie Anderson?’ So I typed in, ‘did Charlie Anderson ever fly helicopters?’ and all this info came up about him,” Currey said.

After emailing Anderson to explain who he was and thank him for his life-saving rescue, the pair organised to meet up and reminisce.

Anderson said the email caused him to get “sand in his eyes” and the pair, with their wives by their sides, reconnected for the first time on January 2.

Currey gifted Anderson with a pounamu and finally had the chance to talk about his gratitude.

“I’ve seen some brave acts in my life, and that was a real brave act,” Currey said.

“For me, I think of him every year. Charlie saved my life, there’s no doubt about that.

“To come in and put your own life in danger, that’s pretty hard and that‘s why I am grateful for this man.”

He is convinced he would not have seen his next birthday if it were not for Anderson.

“I wouldn’t have made it through the night.

“Because I was young I was able to bounce back; if it had happened now, I’d be dead.

“I’m convinced that Charlie saved my life.”

Anderson said he would do it all over again if he had to.

“[Mt] Ngāuruhoe is a pretty daunting place, you can’t see the twists and without vegetation, nothing moves – helicopters have to use the wind.

“We got called out to these scenes all the time, we weren’t shot up to be rescue pilots but as there became more and more rescues, they realised the value of them and made progress to where we are today.”

Charlie Anderson on board his helicopter in the 1970s. Adam Currey was attached to the skids either side during his rescue from Mt Ngāuruhoe.

The pair were convinced their reconnection was destined.

The Chronicle story about Anderson and his cars came out two days after the December 28 anniversary. Currey and his wife had planned their trip to Whanganui so checked the Chronicle for news and were able to contact Anderson through his publicly-available council email address.

“This has to be one of those moments,” Currey said.

Currey’s yearly reflection has allowed him to recall the day and events with pin-point accuracy.

He recalls the position he was laid on the helicopter’s skids, the journey on the helicopter and even what a South African doctor told him at Taumarunui Hospital.

“I was fit and strong in those days. I was in the hospital for seven days and the doctor said, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t break any bones'. He brought up all the milk we drank as kids – that’s all he could put it down to.

“I remember looking and seeing Charlie [on the mountain] and thinking ‘far out, who is this guy?’.

“If it is a life and death situation, I think everyone remembers that date – it’s personal for them.

“I’m sure there’d be heaps of people that Charlie has rescued that still remember their dates.

“It’s a big thing that Charlie’s done.”