Police have released the names of the five people who drowned off North Cape when the fishing charter boat Enchanter went down on Sunday night.
They were Geoffrey James Allen, aged 72, from Cambridge, Mark Kenneth Sanders, aged 43, from Te Awamutu, Michael Patrick Lovett, aged 72, from Cambridge, Richard Eldon Bright, aged 63, from Cambridge, and Mark Keith Walker, aged 41, from Cambridge.
Ten people were onboard the Enchanter fishing vessel operating out of Mangonui when it activated an emergency beacon after it began sinking at about 8pm on Sunday.
At approximately 2:30am, it was confirmed the vessel had sunk, Maritime New Zealand says.
Five of those on board were rescued, including Enchanter captain Lance Goodhew and senior deckhand Kobe O'Neill, and were taken to Kaitaia Hospital and have since been discharged.
The company was running a five-day charter to the Three Kings Islands 55km northwest of Cape Reinga when survivors say Goodhew opted to bring the vessel home a day early.
Police said their deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims.
Police and Victim Support are providing support to their families, as well as for the survivors of this tragedy. Post mortem examinations are underway.
The deaths will be referred to the Coroner and Police are continuing to make enquiries into the incident on behalf of the Coroner.
The remaining wreckage of the Enchanter sank around midday on Wednesday while it was being towed.
Northland's deputy harbourmaster Peter Thomas told Newshub the wreckage will likely remain at the bottom of the ocean.
"Beaches will continue to be monitored to see if any of it washes to shore," he says.
The victims' families paid tribute to their loved ones on Tuesday night. The family of builder Mark Sanders says they take comfort knowing he died doing what he loved.
"For months he kept talking about the trip, he was saying after the trip he would come home and finish our house, stop drinking and go on a diet. All the things he was going to do… he was so excited," says daughter Reese Sanders.
Reese and 15-year-old sister Sienna, 12-year-old brother Ali, Mark's wife Megan and his parents have been engulfed with support from across Waikato.
Mark was a fisherman, rugby man and horse racing identity with his dad.
Worried about the storm, he phoned his family just hours before the Enchanter's distress signal went off 8pm Sunday night.
Ali recounts how Mark said, "He was having the best time of his life and that he'd be back soon - he told us he loved us".
"For us the most relieving thing, he is not lost... they found him that's some consolation," local trainer Graeme Sanders says of his son.
Mike Lovett, who was a much-loved handyman at The Oaks Stud, joined his good mate publican Richard Bright on the trip.
"He was really one of a kind," says Bright's daughter Jess Short.
Wife Brenda says she's been overwhelmed by the community support for her "larger than life character of a husband" who'd owned the popular sports bar, the Group 1 Turf Bar, for almost 21 years.
"He loved ribbing people and they loved it and he was generous to the core… he would give you the shirt off his back. He had a lot of hobbies.
"We were getting to the time of life where we wanted to do things for ourselves."
Several maritime investigations are already underway into the 5-day trip run by the Enchanter Fishing company, for the families though it's the memories that are top of mind.
"He loved fishing and he loved hunting - this marlin trip was on his bucket list," Brenda Bright says. "He wanted to catch a marlin and hopefully I find out in the coming days if he did."
The mens' bodies are now being returned home to Waikato.
"I'm just so looking forward to having him back and saying our last goodbyes, he would do anything for us so that's what we need to do for him now," Reese Sanders says.
