Emergency services responded to a motorbike crash in Ashley Forest, North Canterbury yesterday afternoon.

The male was in a hard to access location, with Land, Search and Rescue deployed around 5pm, a police spokesperson told Chris Lynch Media.

It’s believed the man suffered a long fall with his bike, and was pinned underneath in river water.

The rescue took 2-3 hours, with helicopters and multiple ground units battling poor weather and harsh terrain, making it an extremely difficult extraction.

One person was carried out of the forest by Land Search and Rescue and transported via 4WD to Ashley Village, where ambulance transported them to hospital in a moderate condition.