Police are full of praise for a school group's comprehensive emergency plan when they went caving over the long weekend in the Motueka area

Five people, including students from Golden Bay High School, went on a caving trip in the Motueka Valley, when one of them suffered an injury.

The group waited it out with the injured man before a Search and Rescue guided them to safety this morning.

Sergeant Malcolm York says their planning was instrumental in the outcome of the rescue.

He says if the group had opted to deviate from their plan, it could've been much worse ... as it's a very big cave system with water and multiple hazards.

The injured man wasn't admitted to hospital and has been referred to a GP with a back complaint.