Two stuck kayakers winched out of mud

  • 10/02/2016
Two stuck kayakers winched out of mud

Two kayakers who were lodged in mud in the Waitemata Harbour near the Auckland suburb of Whenuapai have been winched out by helicopter.

The kayakers asked for help after being stuck in a "muddy area" 350 metres north of the causeway joining Herald Island and the Whenuapai mainland near Kingsway Rd.

One kayaker tried to walk ashore but became stuck waist-deep in mud.

Station officer at West Harbour Fire Station Darren Gussey says it appears one person remained sitting in the kayak and the other made their way out of the kayak to reassure the other, and that's when they became stuck.

He says the pair "probably kayaked out and misjudged the tide."

Officer Gussey says they could have been in more danger if there was incoming tide.

"In this sort of mud it can have a quick-sand type effect, so I don't think they were in grave danger, but certainly they've been there for about an hour so they would have been really worried," he says.

Officer Gussey says because the pair was 350 metres were from land it wouldn't have made sense to send firefighters crawling across the mud, so they called in the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

The pair has been assessed by ambulance and no one is injured, but the Fire Service gave them a hose down.

Officer Gussey urges people to have a look at the tides before going out, and to know your surrounding areas.

Newshub.