A period of challenging weather meant the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team faced a slow start to the week, which ended with a flurry of missions over the weekend.

The team successfully completed a total of six missions in the seven days from Monday, May 20, covering the dispatch range of motor vehicle accidents and medical events to traumas and hospital transfers.

The week’s activity started on Tuesday when the team responded to a medical event at Mahia (4.30pm), flying the patient in critical condition to Gisborne Hospital.

The impact of cloudy weather conditions were felt the following day when they to turn back during a flight to Murupara, to where they had been dispatched for a motor vehicle accident.

The team remained grounded until Friday when they covered Hawke’s Bay’s Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter – which was undergoing routine maintenance – by transferring a patient in serious condition from Hastings to Wellington Hospital (11.20am).

On Saturday the team successfully completed two missions – to a medical event at Te Puia (11.45am); a trauma at Te Araroa (2.27am).

And on Sunday they recorded a further two – to a motor vehicle accident at Ruatoria (1.09pm); and to a medical event at Tikitiki (5.30pm).

In all four cases, the patients were stabilised by the on-board critical care flight paramedic before being flown to Gisborne Hospital for further treatment.

CAPTION: NIGHT-FLYING: Sunday’s early-evening response to a medical event at Tikitiki (pictured) was the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team’s last job for the week starting May 20, but a post-midnight call-out got the current week’s missions off to an early start.