Hero grandpa died knowing of rip danger

The man who died saving his grandchildren from a vicious rip at Ninety Mile Beach was a hero who knew the beach and its dangers "inside-out" - but didn't hesitate to leap in when he saw his mokopuna in trouble.
Jackie Maynard Wiki, 55, died on Tuesday after his grandchildren were swept out to sea near The Bluff, about 65km north of Ahipara.
He had been living in Auckland but was born and bred in nearby Te Kao, where he had been visiting relatives.
Mr Wiki's son, also named Jackie Wiki and living in Auckland, praised his father's heroism.
He believed his niece and nephew - Mr Wiki's grandchildren, Jezaya, 7, and Jezius, 6, of Auckland - had been playing in the shallows when they were swept out.
Mr Wiki, who was fishing nearby, plunged in and pulled his  6-year-old grandson from the waves. He held the boy over his head and out of the water until another man was able to grab him and bring him back to shore.
"My Dad is a hero, whether it's saving someone in the ocean or picking someone up off the street. That's his nature."
Mr Wiki junior said his father knew the beach "inside-out". He was raised at Te Kao, only moving to Auckland about  10 years ago to be closer to his children.
"He was no stranger to that place. He knew the danger, but he loved his grandchildren very dearly."
Mr Wiki had three children, two in Auckland and one in Kaitaia, and five grandchildren. The children he  saved  thought he was merely in hospital. Their mother was devastated.
Mr Wiki junior said he was  grateful to the people at Ninety Mile Beach who had tried to help his father.
In particular he was hoping to track down an unknown 17-year-old who had taken the boy from his father's arms, and thank him personally.
He described his father as "a really funny, out there guy" who was so loved by his workmates many were flying north for the funeral.
He had been working as a truck driver and had previously run a Far North campground.
Mr Wiki's body was  returned to the family last night after a post mortem examination and was taken to the family home on Te Ahu Rd, Te Kao. His tangi will be held at Potahi Marae.
A tapu  was laid at The Bluff yesterday and would be lifted on Sunday.
 
Mr Wiki's death was Northland's second drowning in a week. On Christmas Eve four-year-old Laylyn Taurere, from Whangarei, drowned at Lake Waro near Hikurangi. The flooded limestone quarry is a scenic reserve and a popular swimming spot.
Police said the boy went to the lake with his mother and about a dozen other children. Laylyn was noticed missing as the group was leaving. He was found in the lake about 6.45pm.
As of yesterday, 13 people had drowned in Northland in 2009.