A Coromandel man in his 50's was airlifted to hospital with a minor injury after being struck in the face while working on a mussel barge.

Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter Trust spokesperson Kerrie Spicer says the man suffered the injury after a longline rope broke under tension and hit him in the face on Tuesday.

File Photo.

'He was ‘walking the wheel' on a mussel barge when the rope broken under tension and hit him in the face.”

Kerrie says the W2 rescue helicopter was dispatched to the Coromandel Airfield at 12.14pm, arriving 18 minutes later.

After being assessed, the injured man was then airlifted to Waikato Hospital in a minor condition.