A jetskier has saved the lives of two children and an adult after rescuing them from an overturned kayak off Māhia Peninsula in Hawke's Bay.
Constable Chad Prentice said the trio were in trouble for about an hour and a half.
One of the group's kayaks had capsized and was pushed out to sea. They clung to the other kayak, which was being blown offshore.
Prentice said he spotted two men with a jetski at a nearby boat ramp, who agreed to help, and successfully rescued them.
They were lucky the jetskier happened to be in the right place at the right time, and could help with the rescue.
"When you've got people in the water, and only one life jacket between them, it's not a very safe situation.
"Incidents like that have definitely gone differently in the past so we're really grateful that they (were) available, obliging and they did a really outstanding job. A really good thing for our community."
The trio were pulling up craypots, which was too big a job to do from a kayak, he said.
"Especially in these rural, remote areas, where help is not five minutes away, we've really got to do what we can for ourselves, and know the weather, know the conditions, and know the capability of the boat or vessels we're in as well as having life jackets and different forms of communication."
RNZ
