A grandfather who was onboard the boat that overturned in Pauanui in the Coromandel on Wednesday and later died is being hailed as a hero.
The man was flown to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition while two of his grandchildren were flown to Starship Hospital, where they both remain in a critical but stable condition.
Two other family members made it ashore with minor injuries.
The family was in the process of rescuing two kayakyers.
Tairua resident Nigel Cattell says he saw two people in the hired double kayak head out towards the Tairua bar.
He feared the worst when he saw them being sucked out on the outgoing tide.
"I thought those kayakers were going to get into trouble - they might flip and they'd need to be rescued, but I had no idea when I sent out that boat that they were going to be the victims," Cattell told Newshub.
Stuck on land, he'd asked a jet skier and the family of five - who'd just come back in after a day on the water - to keep an eye on the kayakers.
"They said 'yep give us a wave', so when I saw the kayak flip they raced back out."
A full-scale rescue ensued when the family's boat was hit by a wave.
Hamilton woman Andrea Hall was visiting Pauanui for the day when she saw the incident unfold.
"You think, 'they'll be alright, they're gonna make it', and then just that horrible feeling of realising what's happening in front of you," she said.
She spent 18 minutes on the phone to emergency services who summonsed three rescue helicopters to the scene.
Cattell says the grandfather and his family were selfless in going to help the stricken kayakers.
"They went out there to do their darndest to save those kayakers who we know now survived. Those boaties, I have no idea who they were, but they were the heroes and did their bit," said Cattell.
More than 20 surf lifesavers swung into action to save the family of five.
One of the men who helped overturn the boat described to Newshub how the children's grandfather had been trapped underneath for what seemed like 20 minutes.
He was blue when they got him ashore and was brought back to life two or three times before he was airlifted to Waikato Hospital, where he later died.
Lifeguards involved are being offered counselling.
"It was an absolutely stellar effort on all emergency services involved. We all linked in and I believe gave everyone the best chance," said Stuart Upjohn, a senior Pauanui lifeguard.
Newshub understands the kayakers are being spoken to by police.
Cattell has a message for kayakers like them or anyone unfamiliar with sand bars.
"If you don't know what you're doing don't go out - it happens so fast."
With now fatal consequences for a family who put their lives on the line to help.
