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A female swimmer was rescued from Papatowai Beach this afternoon after getting into difficulty in the water.
The weather was fine and calm in the Catlins when she went into the water about 4pm but it quickly turned to the south, becoming windy and raining.
The water chopped up and she struggled to get out of the water. Starting to suffer from the cold, emergency services were called.
Two police vehicles attended and a rescue helicopter also flew to the incident.
Police managed to get her out of the water and the woman was set to be taken by helicopter to Dunedin Hospital.