A man impaled himself on a tree while out for a run on Kawau Island on the weekend.
The Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust were called to the island for a man in his early 20s with a stick in his neck.
A helicopter crewman said the man was running through a bush area when he hit a tree.
"A stick on the tree went into his neck missing all major arteries, it went in roughly half an inch, this is just an estimate," the crewman said.
He was in a serious condition when the helicopter crew treated him.
The adverse weather conditions meant the man was flown back to Mechanics Bay, and then taken by road in an ambulance to Auckland City Hospital.
By Sophie Ryan of NZME. News Service
