An injured caver who is thought to have broken her hip during a fall into an underground stream has been rescued from the Luckie Strike cave near Waitomo.
Jane Furkert, 38, was brought to the surface in a lengthy operation involving a stretcher suspended above floor level.
Members of a Cave Rescue Team manoeuvred her via a series of high traverse lines and narrow passage ways, to emerge early on Friday morning.
Helicopter pilot Steve Oliver, from Waikato Air Ambulance, says there was heavy rain in the area when they landed on a nearby rugby field.
Ms Furkert was flown to Waikato Hospital about 2am and was in a stable condition.
She is an experienced recreational caver and was with two others when she fell on Thursday afternoon.
Police say a companion pulled her from the stream and covered her in a survival blanket before getting help.
