Locals have stepped in to help after a yacht ran aground on coastal rocks overnight, leaving its owners shaken and having lost most of their belongings.
The yacht’s owner, Jared Laing, described a dramatic night after the vessel struck what he said was an uncharted rock while anchored off the island’s east coast.
An emergency beacon was activated, but with a weak signal and worsening conditions, the group made their own way ashore, travelling by dinghy and on foot in the early hours to seek help. Local residents at Okiwi spotted the group near the airfield, providing assistance and helping to alert emergency services.
One person was assessed by ambulance staff and later airlifted to Auckland Hospital by rescue helicopter with suspected spinal injuries. Other family members were housed locally, including at a bed and breakfast run by an ambulance officer.
Laing said the family had “lost most of what we own” in the incident, and thanked locals for their support and hospitality during what he described as an overwhelming situation.
Photos taken at low tide show the yacht wedged firmly among the rocks.
No injuries beyond those already reported are known at this stage, and all those involved are accounted for. Laing says the focus now turns to recovery options for the vessel.
