Man winched to safety after car plunges 60 metres down Paekākāriki Hill Rd near Wellington

The road – a popular alternative to State Highway 1 - is closed while police investigate the crash.

A man is moderately injured after plunging down a steep bank on the twisting Paekākāriki Hill Road earlier today.

Fire and Emergency assistant area commander Matthew Abel said the man crashed his Ford Falcon around 8am.

He said a drone with a camera was needed to find the man, as the car was not visible under the dense bush.

He said if no witnesses had seen the accident they would never have known someone had crashed.

A scar of broken trees now runs down the hillside where his car plummeted 50 or 60 metres.

Emergency services on Paekākāriki Hill

Mr Abel said parts of the road were frosty at the time, but he couldn't confirm if that was a contributing factor to the crash.

He said rescuers had to chop the car's roof, doors and door frame to reach the man.

A paramedic stabilised him before was winched to the safety of a rescue helicopter, which flew him to Wellington Hospital.

The helicopter later returned to retrieve rescue equipment from the scene. 

The serious crash unit is now investigating.

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