A man who collided with a large piece of driftwood while driving on Coastlands Beach on Saturday evening was airlifted to hospital in serious condition.

Beacon understands the local community turned out to help the man alongside police, paramedics and Aerocool Rescue Helicopter.

It is unclear whether the man was riding a quad bike or other type of motorbike.

Whakatāne police Senior Sergeant Cam MacKinnon said the man collided head-on into a large piece of driftwood, with lack of visibility a likely factor in the crash.

He said the matter was still under investigation.

Aerocool Rescue Helicopter reported that the patient was stabilised on scene and airlifted to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.