An unexpected improvement in the weather enabled a helicopter to pick-up an injured hunter in the Tararua forest park on Monday.
Sergeant Noel Bigwood says the man, 23, from Waikanae injured an ankle on Friday afternoon, but managed to make it to the Waitewaewae hut where an Welsh tourist provided first aid.
The tourist walked out to the Otaki Forks for help on Saturday and came across a search and rescue team who had just finished a course on river safety.
Sergeant Bigwood says a rescue helicopter left Palmerston North to evacuate the hunter shortly after, but was forced back by bad weather.
He says the helicopter managed to fly below the cloud on Monday morning to reach the hunter, a paramedic and a search team, who tramped to the Waitewewae hut on Sunday night.