Police searching for two missing at Cape Reinga

Police continue to search for two missing people that got into trouble in the water on the rocks in Cape Reinga. Photo / NZME

Emergency services, including the Police Search and Rescue team and a helicopter, managed to save two people but another two remain missing after getting into trouble in the water at Cape Reinga.

Emergency services responded after receiving a report of two people trapped on the rocks at Cape Reinga this afternoon.

Police said that about 3.19pm they were notified of a group of four people who called for assistance after getting into trouble on the rocks near Tapotupotu Rd.

“At this stage, two people have made it to safety and two people remain in need of assistance,” police said.

The Search and Rescue team and a helicopter were deployed to the area and are continuing the search.

The incident happened as a weather watch was issued for Northland.

Lead meteorologist at MetService Stephen Glassey said that at 3pm “There was a marine watch for the area ... at around that time they were getting some standard rain. It didn’t particularly look heavy at that point in time, and there were northerly winds. We are expecting winds to develop overnight.”

Glassey said there was also a north-westerly swell of about 2m.

“They don’t usually get swells from that direction, it’s not that common. At 3pm it didn’t look out of the ordinary except for the swell. There was some low cloud up there as well. That is unusual, and it may have had an effect on visibility this afternoon.”

He added that a low-pressure system was developing northwest of New Zealand and would develop overnight and into Saturday morning.

Yolisa Tswanya is deputy news director at the Northern Advocate based in Whangārei.