A man, a woman and a dog have been rescued after their boat's engine failed off the treacherous Hokianga Harbour bar.
The trio went out fishing in a 4m open Mac boat about 7am on Friday, anchoring between the bar and Northwest Reef.
They planned to fish for a few hours then head back into the harbour before high tide about 10am.
However, they were unable to start the engine despite repeated attempts and called 111, Hokianga Coastguard skipper Jeff Cramp said.