A woman was rescued from the sea by helicopter north of Gisborne this afternoon after her eight-year-old son raised the alarm.
The 46-year-old had paddled about 200 metres off Turihaua Point to empty her crayfish pots, but was blown off her kayak.
Her son saw what happened from onshore and called 111.
A rescue helicopter and two paramedics were sent to the woman, who had crawled onto a nearby rock.
Paramedic Shane Clapperton said the rescue was a team effort.
"She kept getting washed off by the waves and having to crawl back on. We made a decision we would get as close as we could to her.
"One of us was watching the waves for the pilot, so basically the pilot concentrated on getting low enough to the patient, and a couple times we had to lift off to stop getting hit by waves."
The woman was cold and tired, and was taken to Gisborne Hospital.
