A woman is lucky to be alive after today being rescued by a dog walker who jumped into a swollen North Island river and navigated her to safety.
Palmerston North station officer Chris Faithfull said emergency services raced to the Manawatu River near the southern end of Palmerston North around 11.45am after bypassers heard yells from a stricken couple struggling to keep afloat in the middle of the river.
Faithfull said the woman - aged 22 - was walking her dog along a track when she jumped in to rescue her dog who had been swept away by the strong current.
"As she was floating away, another guy walking his dog jumped in after her."
Faithfull said the heroic dogwalker managed to negotiate the swift current and reach the woman. He then steered her towards a lifesaving log.
"He managed to direct both of them to that log which is barely sticking out of the water and they held on for dear life."
Faithfull said firefighter Anne Cairns, a trained lifeguard and top kayaker and whitewater rafter, swam down the river and joined the pair on the log to help them.
"They helped hold the girl in water - she was fading fast - then the helicopter arrived. Anne helped the two of them into the helicopter's basket so they could be rescued."
The pair, who had been swept some 200m down the river towards the end of Maxwell Line, were taken to Palmerston North Hospital suffering from hypothermia.
Faithfull praised the actions of the man who put his life in danger to rescue a stranger, saying it could have been a tragedy had he not acted so quickly and bravely.
"This guy did an amazing job," said Faithfull.
The dog swam to the side and got out safely.
- Lynley Bilby of the Herald on Sunday
