NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Desperate swimmer pulled unresponsive woman ashore in one of two Auckland beach tragedies this afternoon

NZ Herald
20 Jan, 2023 05:31 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

One person has died following a water-related incident near Auckland's Narrow Neck Beach. Video / Aja Lethaby

A swimmer at a North Shore beach helped pull an unconscious woman to shore in a desperate bid to save her life, in one of two Auckland water tragedies today.

Two people have died after separate incidents this afternoon.

Emergency services received a report of someone in difficulty in the water at Narrow Neck Beach about 4.30pm.

Police said the woman was brought to shore, but could not be revived and died.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

A swimmer at the beach who helped pull the woman ashore told the Herald he’d hoped he could save her life.

”A lady pointed to the person and said ‘is she all right?’ and 10 metres away was a lady upside down in the water,” he said.

”She was upside down for quite a long time.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The man turned her over and saw she was unconscious, then proceeded to pull her ashore.

”She was completely unresponsive, I was just thinking about pulling her ashore and hopefully I can save her,” he said.

”An off-duty lifeguard ran down to the beach and helped me pull her ashore and he just did his thing.

“There were about 15 people all doing our bit to try and save her while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.

”There was nothing we could do. It’s not the best way to end a Friday.”

One person died following a water-related incident near Auckland's Narrow Neck Beach. January 20, 2023. Photo / Aja Lethaby
One person died following a water-related incident near Auckland's Narrow Neck Beach. January 20, 2023. Photo / Aja Lethaby

Meanwhile, a second person died in a water-related accident further north at Big Manly Beach, on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula.

A resident said he saw a person being pulled unresponsive from the water about 5pm.

Manly resident Johnny Lind said he saw someone floating face down in the water.

”He was swimming and we saw out of our window his buttocks sticking up. We thought he may have been snorkelling as a lot of people do that here,” Lind said.

“He was pulled ashore by bystanders, and as we speak he’s on the beach. There’s lots of people around, emergency services attending to him and they’re trying to shield him off with some sheets.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“I could see he was totally white. His face was completely pale.”

St John sent an ambulance after receiving a call at 4.57pm.

Police said emergency services responded but the person was found dead.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

Horror week sees seven die in water-related incidents

Including today’s two deaths at Auckland beaches, at least seven people have died in water-related incidents around the country in the past week.

A man’s body was found in Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy today after going missing when trying to save a child yesterday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was visiting from Australia and his fiancée watched yesterday’s attempted rescue unfold from the shore.

In a separate but similar incident at the same spot in Otago, a man died in the lake on Friday, January 13.

Emergency services rushed to the mouth of the Rees River where Leeroy Kaaho 48, also known as Linkin Kisling, of Wanaka, died after going in to help his 10-year-old son, who survived.

A rescue helicopter found a man, unresponsive, after he went missing in the water at Whangamatā on Tuesday night, in the first of a string of deaths in the Coromandel.

Husband and father Ian Cruickshank died at nearby Ōpoutere on Wednesday after the extended family group he was with got into trouble in the water.

The partner of one of Cruickshank’s daughters was also with the family and had to be airlifted to hospital, where he is recovering.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A search is still under way for his son, Samuel Cruickshank.

Acting Senior Sergeant Will Hamilton of Whangamatā said “a number of people, services and resources” had been involved in the search throughout the day yesterday.

One person died the next day in a water-related incident near Coroglen, also in Coromandel.

More to come

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM
Wellington

'Not over yet': Chung won't drop out of mayoral race over lewd Tory Whanau email

11 Jul 05:25 AM
New Zealand

Ray Chung talks to Newstalk ZB host Ryan Bridge about email scandal

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

'Serious injuries': Crash closes highway

11 Jul 05:30 AM

Emergency services are responding to a two-vehicle crash which has closed SH29.

'Not over yet': Chung won't drop out of mayoral race over lewd Tory Whanau email

'Not over yet': Chung won't drop out of mayoral race over lewd Tory Whanau email

11 Jul 05:25 AM
Ray Chung talks to Newstalk ZB host Ryan Bridge about email scandal

Ray Chung talks to Newstalk ZB host Ryan Bridge about email scandal

Watch: Video shows chaotic, chilling moments before fatal stabbing

Watch: Video shows chaotic, chilling moments before fatal stabbing

11 Jul 05:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP