Porirua firefighters have plucked a man from a precarious position after he scaled 100m down a cliff face to retrieve his model airplane - then got stuck.

A team of 10 firefighters made the three-hour long rescue when a man called police for help after he found himself in a tricky spot on the Titahi Bay cliffs in Porirua.

A rescue crew was called out shortly before 1pm to aid the man, who was fortunately carrying a cellphone.

The firefighters lowered themselves down on ropes to where the man was perched on a steep outcrop, before attaching him to a harness and helping him 60m down to safety, much to his relief, Porirua senior station officer Owen Woodman said.

"He was very grateful we arrived, but a bit shaky to start with."

It was not the first time they had been called upon to rescue climbers from the cliff-face. People often mistook the cliff for a shortcut to get to the beach, which was not recommended, Woodman said.

As for the man's prized model airplane, it was nowhere to be seen.

"I have no idea where it ended up or what became of it - it was very windy up there today. It was clearly very valuable to him, but arguably, his life was more valuable."