Rescuers describe hoisting an elderly passenger off a boat, far off the Northland coast, as 'challenging'

Last Friday night, the national Rescue Coordination Centre got the call that a passenger on board a boat,had had a serious medical event.

He was on board an 18 metre vessel, about 240 kilometres northeast, of the Bay of Islands.

A rescue chopper reached the boat just after 11pm.

A spokesman for the rescue crew, says both the patient and a medic were winched onto the aircraft, in extremely challenging conditions.