A Tauranga man had to be flown to hospital after colliding with another rider near Pongakawa.

The Tauranga-based Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to a trail ride event yesterday afternoon after the 51-year-old and another rider were involved in a crash.

A Tauranga man sustained serious chest injuries in a crash near Pongakawa yesterday.

'The Tauranga man received serious chest injuries when he collided with another rider, he was treated at the scene by the event medics before being flown to Tauranga Hospital in a serious condition,” says pilot and base manager Liam Brettkelly.

'The other rider was uninjured in the crash. On our arrival back at Tauranga Hospital, the rescue helicopter was called back to the same event for another rider injured in a separate incident, but the helicopter was stood down while enroute.”

Liam says the patient's condition wasn't as bad as first thought.

'The helicopter was called because of the distance to hospital and the nature of the patients injuries.”