An elderly blind man became lost in the Dome Valley between Warkworth and Wellsford on Sunday, spending eight hours in the bush before being rescued by police.

On Sunday night, police were alerted to the gentleman’s plight and were thankfully able to quickly pinpoint his location using the GPS features on his phone.

The man was walking his dog when he became lost, and his location put him about two hours walk from the nearest road.

His family and local police had been searching all walking tracks in the area. The police Eagle helicopter spotted him quickly, but the rough terrain and windy conditions made it incredibly difficult to land.

After several rescue attempts, and with fuel running low, the Eagle was finally able to get close enough for Constable Tristan Kewene to jump out of the chopper while it hovered and guide the gentleman aboard. Once he was was safely in the helicopter, Kewene then lifted the dog up for their flight home.

“And away we went. We found a vineyard nearby that we could land in." The man's family was waiting for them and were ‘stoked’ to see him.

Kewene said he couldn't "stress enough" the importance of taking a charged phone when out walking in the bush and of also letting someone else know where you are headed. In more remote locations, a personal locator beacon is a good idea, he said. In some cases, knowing someone’s GPS location "could make the difference".