When Gay Bouterey received a phone call from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, she thought they were ringing to thank her for a recent donation.
She didn’t expect to hear they had her husband Les on board.
It was a Wednesday in July 2025 when Les took a visitor from Australia to Cave Stream, near Castle Hill.
“It was a bit frosty as we walked down from the car park to the start of the cave, but the sun was shining. I had been through the cave about a dozen times before; I knew it well,” Les says.
Les and his visitor Josiah expected to take around an hour to traverse the 594-metre-long cave. But not long after entering the cave, a slip put Les in a dangerous position.
“We reached the first waterfall, where a stream passes between two rocks before dropping about a metre. You’ve got to push your way up between the flow of water and it can be a little awkward,” Les says.
Les pushed Josiah up and over the waterfall. Josiah then leaned over and took Les’ hand to help him up.
“While I was being pulled up our hands slipped and I fell into the pool below. I went completely under the water,” Les says.
With Les soaking wet, and knowing the dangers of hypothermia, they turned back.
“The cold started affecting me quite quickly. While walking out of the cave I lost a shoe, but I didn’t even realise as I had no feeling in my feet,” Les says.
Once out of the cave, Les started feeling dizzy and faint. The effects of hypothermia were kicking in.
“Josiah decided we shouldn’t climb back up the track to the car park. He called out to a couple of people nearby and they helped Josiah carry me about 100 metres to a sunny spot.”
The two good samaritans stayed with Les, removing his wet clothing and trying to keep him warm. Josiah walked back to the car, grabbed a survival blanket, and called 111.
“When the ambulance arrived the crew wrapped me in warming blankets but they couldn’t get me out. It was too steep and dangerous to carry a stretcher from the riverbed where I was lying to the car park above. They needed help.”
That’s when the rescue helicopter was called.
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Intensive Care Paramedic Adrian remembers this mission well. He says the terrain was too rocky and steep for the helicopter to land, so it hovered just above the ground. Adrian jumped off the helicopter and made his way to Les.
“The ambulance crew had done a great job starting to warm Les up but there was no way they could have gotten him out of there. By the time we were called to the job, Les had been lying on that riverbed for quite a while. He needed our help to get him to hospital, fast,” Adrian says.
Adrian loaded Les onto the winch stretcher. The helicopter lowered down the winch hook, Adrian secured Les and himself to the hook and gave the thumbs up to signal that the rescue helicopter crew could safety winch them up.
Les Bouterey
Les remembers the feeling of relief when hearing the rescue helicopter overhead.
“I was very happy to be getting out of there. The paramedic gave me a woollen hat and a pair of safety glasses to wear as I was winched up, to protect me from the leaves and twigs that were being blown around by the helicopter’s downdraft,” Les says.
The rescue helicopter took Les straight to Christchurch Hospital, where doctors continued to warm him up, monitored his blood pressure and ensured there were no signs of frostbite.
“I had some black spots on my toes and the soles of my feet, but as I warmed up my skin colour returned to normal, which was a relief.”
A few months later, Les returned to the rescue helicopter base for a Community Base Tour and brought with him the woollen hat and safety glasses.
“It was wonderful to see behind the scenes of the service that rescued me, meet the crews and hear about their life-saving work.
“Gay and I have been long-time supporters of the Westpac Rescue Helicopters but we never dreamed we’d need to use the service ourselves. I’m so grateful the rescue helicopter was there for me that day. They did an amazing job.”
