Boatie rescued after boat fire near Tauranga Harbour entrance

Emergency services at Sulphur Point after a boat fire just outside the Tauranga Harbour entrance. Photo / Alex Cairns

A boatie abandoned a vessel that caught fire just outside the Tauranga Harbour entrance and was plucked to safety from a rubber dinghy, groups involved in the rescue say.

A police spokesperson said officers responded to the boat fire near Matakana Island about 1.20pm today.

Coastguard and Fire and Emergency NZ also responded, and a FENZ spokesperson said the sole occupant abandoned the boat and did not require medical attention.

A Port of Tauranga spokeswoman said a harbour pilot on an outgoing cargo ship spotted the fire at 1.17pm and alerted the port authority.

She said a pilot vessel out doing some surveying rescued the boatie from a rubber dinghy.

Emergency services at Sulphur Point in Tauranga respond to a boat fire near Matakana Island. Photo / Alex Cairns

The spokeswoman said a nearby vessel helped fight the “quite big” fire.

She said there was no information available about the extent of damage to the boat, the type of boat or its whereabouts.

Bay of Plenty harbourmaster Jon Jon Peters told the Bay of Plenty Times the maritime team was alerted to a burning boat about 2.2 nautical miles outside the Tauranga Harbour entrance.

He said one person was safely taken to shore by the crew on a Port of Tauranga pilot vessel.

Peters said the boat was being “observed from a distance” and no pollution risk had been identified.

The cause of the boat fire was unknown.