The father of a young girl badly injured in the Far North has expressed heartfelt thanks to the emergency responders who came to her rescue.

The 5-year-old was airlifted to Whangārei Hospital after an incident near Taipā, in Doubtless Bay, last week Friday.

St John Ambulance, police and the Northland Rescue Helicopter responded.

Steve Mckinlay said his daughter Stevie had spent three nights in hospital and was now staying with her grandmother in Kaikohe.

Her condition was initially described as serious and, although she didn’t have any broken bones, she had suffered a serious concussion as well as plenty of scrapes and bruises.

Mckinlay, a house painter who lives near Oruru, said he called her at least twice a day.

“She’s fine, she’s a super-strong kid. She was more upset about the fact I was upset seeing her like that. She’s tough.”

A grateful Mckinlay said he wanted to give “a huge shout-out” to all the first responders, but also to an unknown woman who was among the first on the scene.

He’d been told the medical professional, who happened to be in the area, helped until the ambulance arrived.

Mckinlay said the St John paramedics from Coopers Beach were “amazing” and police merited a “special shout-out”. Officers responded from all over the district with one driving all the way from Kāeo.

He was also grateful to the helicopter pilot and crew, and the doctors and nurses of Ward 2 in Whangārei Hospital.

Volunteers from Mangōnui Fire Brigade set up a chopper landing zone on a Taipā sports field.

Mckinlay said he’d been a volunteer firefighter in Kaikohe from the age of 17 to 24 so he’d seen plenty of things no one wanted to see — but when it was his own child it was different.

“For me and my girl, it was a pretty bloody scary thing … I should have held it together more for my girl. But they helped me keep my peace of mind, most definitely. A great big thank you to everyone involved.”

He said Stevie, who turns 6 next month, had just about finished her “yucky” medication and would make a full recovery.

“She’s an absolute box of birds. She’s getting better as every day goes by.”