Mercer Bay cliff area (File image)
Photo: RNZ/ Brad White
The man had been surfing at Karekare Beach in the morning but lost his board in a large wave and was swept onto rocks.
Unable to walk out through the tracks and after two hours of persisting, the man wrote the message in desperation.
Before collapsing, he was seen writing the message at Mercer Bay by a walker, who called United North Piha Surf Club about 3.30pm.
A Surf Life Saving rescue jetski set off from Piha with two lifeguards and first aid equipment to conduct a search.
The lifeguards found him and provided emergency first aid for his serious injuries.
Injured surfer rescued after walker spots message rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
RYAN ANDERSON/STUFF
Since 1992 six people have gone missing from a small area around Piha without a trace - those affected are calling for answers.
Drowning, suicide and tragic accidents – all explanations given for the disappearances of six young people who vanished from the same small corner of Auckland’s west coast. But not everyone is so convinced. Jackson Thomas reports. On March 7, 2020, French teen Eloi Rolland went missing near Piha Beach. He became the sixth person since 1992 to have disappeared from the same small corner of West Auckland, without a trace. Each of them – attractive, lively and young – have never been found.