Brothers hurt as boat flips

One of the injured men after the boat crashed at Whangaparaoa. Picture / Kenny Rodger

An injured man helped revive his unconscious brother then swam to shore seeking help after the boat they were in flipped off the Whangaparaoa Peninsula last night.

It is understood three men were in the 5m craft when it crashed into rocks near Tindalls Beach about 7.20pm.

Sergeant Sam McErlean said the men, all brothers in their 40s, were thrown out and on to the rocks. The weather was not rough at the time.

One of the men was knocked unconscious. His two brothers pulled him to safety and performed CPR.

One of the men made his way to shore to seek help - running across the rocks in the darkness and swimming 100m to the beach.

Nearby resident Geoff Allen said the man appeared at his door bleeding from the head and nose saying, "Please help me, please help me, we are in a bad way".

"He was bleeding. He had slogged across the rocks at the end of the bay.

"We couldn't get him to come inside the house because he was in such a mess."

Mr Allen and his wife got the man a chair and blanket and gave him the phone to call 111. Mr Allen said from what he could make out from the injured man the boat had crashed on to the rocks at speed and flipped.

"Apparently his brother was caught under the boat and they dragged him out."

The man's 111 call brought police and the Westpac rescue helicopter to the scene.

However, Mr McErlean said it was another member of the public using a jetski who ended up rescuing the two remaining brothers from the rocks.

A St John spokesman said two men were taken to North Shore Hospital with minor and moderate injuries.

It is understood all three brothers, who had been out diving and possibly fishing, were badly shaken by their ordeal.

Another resident, Len Allen, said there was a good chance the boaties had lost their bearings because of a lack of street lights.

The lights, including one on the boat ramp, had been out for nearly a week and made it impossible for boaties to navigate safely at night.

"It's maybe six days since we have had no lights ... There's no beacon."