A person has been winched to safety after surviving a 60m cliff plunge at a central North Island reserve.

Fire and Emergency central shift communications manager Carlos Dempsey said it was a dramatic and difficult overnight rescue operation after a person fell down a steep bank at the Vinegar Hill Domain, south of Hunterville, about 2am.

Fire crews and a rescue helicopter spent three hours in pitch darkness to find and reach the injured person who was in a spot on the sheer cliff face that was difficult to get to.

Dempsey said the helicopter was eventually able to winch the stricken person out of danger.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The person was about 60m down the bank and access was quite difficult," he said.

Dempsey said ambulance crews at the riverside domain asked for help to reach the injured person.

He said fire crews from Hunterville and Kimbolton and a specialist lines rescue team from Whanganui went to the domain off SH54 and the Palmerston North-based rescue helicopter successfully winched the victim off the sheer river cliff face around 5am.

It was unknown how badly injured the person is.