A helicopter was used in darkness last night to rescue two climbers from ''difficult and mountainous'' terrain in Aoraki-Mt Cook National Park.
A Rescue Co-ordination Centre of New Zealand spokeswoman said the first attempt to rescue the two New Zealanders, a man and a woman, from about 1800m in ''difficult and mountainous terrain'' by helicopter was hampered by cloud yesterday afternoon.
A rescue beacon was activated at the top of the Copland Track, on steep, difficult terrain on the west side of the Main Divide, about 2pm.
On a second rescue attempt, a helicopter from The Helicopter Line ''nosed in and uplifted'' the climbers ''in darkness'', the spokeswoman said.
The woman had a serious head injury and was flown to Dunedin Hospital about 2am, the spokeswoman said. She was described as being ``conscious, but in a lot of pain''.
The man was uninjured.
``This was a marvellous job by the helicopter team as darkness had set in,'' senior search and rescue officer Chris Wilson said.
