Jetskier gets warning from police

Northland deputy harbourmaster Chidambaram Surendran

A jetskier has received a warning from police after sparking a flurry of complaints that he was endangering swimmers and boaties in the Bay of Islands.

Senior Sergeant Peter Robinson, of Kerikeri, said police received a number of complaints about a jetskier operating his craft at excessive speed around Paihia and Waitangi over the weekend.

The rider told police he was unaware of maritime rules. The man, a 37-year-old from Moerewa, was given a formal warning.

"The responsibility is on the rider to know what the laws and regulations are, to ensure other people in the area are safe," Mr Robinson said.

Maritime law states that power boats, which include jetskis, must not travel faster than 5 knots (9km/h) within 200m of shore or a boat displaying a dive flag, or within 50m of swimmers and other boats.

Northland deputy harbourmaster Chidambaram Surendran said jetski complaints were seasonal and mainly occurred in the Bay of Islands and Mangawhai, due to the concentration of people and jetskis in those areas, and occasionally in the bays at Whangarei Heads.

As well as setting speed limits, regional council bylaws required all jetskis used in Northland to be registered and to clearly display their registration number. Anyone breaking the registration or speed rules could be fined $200. If they caused an injury they could be liable in a criminal or civil court.

Serious accidents involving jetskis are rare. A man was injured when his jetski and a power boat collided at Kai Iwi Lakes, near Dargaville, in 2007, and a 17-year-old boy died after two jetskis collided on Lake Okareka near Rotorua in 2011.