Hawera Local Raises $17000 for Local Rescue Chopper!

When Caroline fell off her bike and down a sharp cliff face into the Waiaua River, The Taranaki Rescue Helicopter responded.

Alive and thankful one year later, Caroline’s fundraising efforts are helping to secure the future of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter. Last April, Caroline and her husband signed up to the Ōpunakē Lions Mountain to Sea Bike Ride, which sees participants cycle from Mount Taranaki to Ōpunakē Beach. Caroline had nearly completed the two-hour journey as she passed through Ōpunakē Township and hit the track towards the beach. “I remember going down a metal track, and then I don’t remember anything at all. I know I lost control and went over the bike’s handlebars, over the bank, into the river. It was a five metre sheer drop down the cliffside." Caroline’s fall left her unconscious and lying in the river with a punctured lung, broken collarbone, humerus (arm bone), and several broken ribs. Caroline felt nothing as the flight crew stabilised her condition, and she was transported by helicopter to Taranaki Base Hospital, where she stayed for two weeks. Nearly a year on, Caroline has raised an incredible $17,000 for the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust through an Open Day at the Hawera Fire Station, raffle, cake sale and family barbeque. Thank you to Caroline for your incredible fundraising efforts!