A 19-year-old American was flown to Dunedin hospital with broken legs after the motorbike he was riding collided head-on with a campervan near the Gates of Haast bridge on State Highway 6 on Saturday evening.
The Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter flew the injured man from the accident site at about 7.30pm.
Emergency services from Makarora, Lake Hawea, and Wanaka rushed to the scene to attend to the victim.
Lake Hawea Fire Brigade Chief Doug Brenssell said it appeared the motorcyclist had been riding on the wrong side of the road and had come around a blind corner, colliding with the campervan.
"He's a lucky man. His legs were absolutely munted," Mr Brenssell said.
A crash investigation is being held to determine the cause of the accident.
Makarora Fire Rescue Chief Chris Wilson said the two campervan occupants, who were travelling north, were not injured in the accident.
The crash happened near the top of a twisting, steep section of State Highway 6, on the Makarora side of the Gates of Haast bridge, known as the "Powder Magazine", Mr Wilson said.
The road was closed for about an hour while emergency services treated the man and moved him to the helicopter for transferral to Dunedin.
A 25-year-old Oamaru man is in a critical condition in the intensive care unit at Dunedin Hospital after a crash at Oamaru on Saturday morning.
The Ford Telstar car he was driving failed to take a corner at the top of Eden St about 2am and hit a pole, Sergeant Wayne Brew said.
The driver was flown to Dunedin by the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter, while the female front-seat passenger was admitted to Oamaru Hospital with a broken arm.
Two rear-seat passengers were treated by ambulance personnel.
The serious crash unit attended and the street was closed from about 3am until 9.30am.
Speed and alcohol were believed to be factors in the crash, Sgt Brew said.
