A mountain biker is cautioning other cyclists to take care when riding on gravel roads after he suffered a serious fall in Whakarewarewa Forest near Rotorua at the weekend.

Emergency services attend to 40-year-old Mingo Innes who suffered suspected spinal injuries in a mountain bike incident. Photo: supplied.

Forty-year-old Auckland man Mingo Innes was riding through the shingle 4WD track on Pipeline Road when he suffered a serious fall about 2pm on Saturday.

'The channel where some water had washed out is what caught me up," says Mingo, who believes the debris was from the "big downpour" last week.

"I thought I could see far enough ahead of me to be able to slow down and I tried to ride through it but lost control over the front.”

St John Ambulance and the Rotorua-based BayTrust Rescue helicopter were called to the scene.

Suffering from suspected spinal injuries, Mingo was airlifted to Rotorua Hospital, where he's in a stable condition recovering from a fractured vertebra.

Speaking to SunLive from the hospital, Mingo says he's had confirmation from the surgeon that surgery is not needed on his spine – but he will need to be in a neck brace for about six weeks.

Although this is his first serious back accident, Mingo says it's not stopping him from getting back on his bike. But he counts himself lucky and urges others to slow down on gravel roads.

'One thing I'd like to say to everybody is slow down on the gravel roads. What I'd emphasise to people is to take caution where it should be taken.”

Mingo wants to thank the local nurse who helped him at the scene.