Rescued kayaker pens thank-you note
An American tourist rescued from choppy seas in Wellington Harbour has written a heartfelt thankyou letter to the Wellington police and good samaritans who helped him and others.
A group of 10 kayakers from the cruise ship Noordam were caught out in strong winds last Thursday and had to be rescued by Wellington’s maritime police.
Bob Carson, a geologist and author from Walla Walla, Washington, wrote on behalf of the group. The letter tells of their gratitude and includes details of the difficulty they had making it back to shore in treacherous conditions.
‘‘Our seven kayaks capsized a total of eight times. Although we were able to get back in them five times, three of us were swimming with waves breaking over our heads,’’ Carson said.
‘‘All but two of us paddled, drifted and/or swam to the north end of the peninsula east of downtown Wellington.’’
Carson was one of the two people who had to be rescued from the harbour. ‘‘As three kayaks passed I yelled, ‘I’m OK, get to shore, flag a car and ask them to call 111’,’’ he said.
‘‘Still in the turbulent water, I was not aware that seven had made it ashore without being injured as waves smashed on the rocks.
‘‘We were scattered southwest of Somes Island, potentially in shipping lanes. Hearing a noise behind me, I saw a police boat with an officer calling me to swim to him.’’
Carson praised two women who were passing by and provided blankets and comfort to a member of the group who arrived on Miramar Peninsula, spent of energy.
‘‘We are indebted to the two kind women (we wish we knew their names) who called the Wellington police and attended a cold and exhausted paddler.’’
He also thanked the ranger and all members of the police who assisted in the rescue and safe return of all the passengers to the cruise ship.
‘‘The city of Wellington is fortunate to have such professional, dedicated, and safety-conscious police officers,‘‘ Carson said.
‘‘We will always remember the wonderful people of New Zealand. Thank you.’’
One of the rescued pair had been suffering from mild hypothermia so was treated by police before being transferred into the care of medical staff on board the cruise ship.
The group were on a guided tour from Petone to Matiu/Somes Island with Canoe & Kayak Ltd – the country’s largest kayak company.
WorkSafe is making inquiries in relation to the incident.