Death ashore after boat flips
Three men swam for about an hour through stormy Fiordland seas after their boat was swamped by waves.
Once ashore, one of the men hiked 2 kilometres to get help at a nearby lodge. However, one of his friends died at the beach before emergency services arrived.
Sergeant Tod Hollebon said the men were on a boat near the mouth of the Waitutu River on Saturday when they decided to make their way back to the Wairaurahiri Hut, where they had been staying with some friends.
It was about 3pm when the boat was overcome by waves, tipping the three men out of the boat which then sank.
Hollebon said the men, who were all wearing lifejackets, then swam for about an hour to make it to shore.
‘‘It’s a very exposed, remote piece of Southland coastline and once ashore it was very limiting in terms of making a call for help, so the only option really was for one of them to try to get help,’’ he said.
‘‘One of the party managed to make his way back to the Waitutu Lodge and raised the alarm, and the people that look after the lodge have contacted somebody by radio who has raised the alarm with police and search and rescue have responded from there.’’
However, when emergency services arrived at the beach one of the two men who stayed behind had died.
‘‘It is a terrible tragedy that someone has died, and it is tragic for the friends and family.
‘‘It is also good fortune that two did manage to survive what was obviously a very traumatic event.’’
Police are yet to release the name of the man who died on the beach. Hollebon said inquiries were under way into the circumstances of the trip.
‘‘There are a number of inquiries we will be conducting on behalf of the coroner, with Maritime New Zealand doing an investigation as well.’’
Waitutu Lodge secretary Leonie Gale confirmed one person had gone to the lodge, which sleeps about 20 people, for help. She declined to comment further.
A spokeswoman for Te Anau based Southern Lakes Helicopters said two helicopters were flown to the Wairaurahiri River. The pilot of the second helicopter, Sir Richard ‘‘Hannibal’’ Hayes, was tasked with body retrieval, the spokeswoman said.
Wairaurahiri Wilderness Jet owner Paul Roff said he did not know the circumstances of Saturday’s incident but said the ocean was ‘‘not to be taken lightly’’.
‘‘You have got to assess it yourself when you get there, I don’t go out there at all, I just don’t bother with it.’’