Two fishermen forced to abandon their boat had to swim through the choppy waters of the Tasman Sea to Kapiti Island, where they were winched to safety.
The pair were out fishing on Sunday afternoon when their boat ran into mechanical difficulties.
Battling severe winds, they managed to contact Kapiti Coastguard before separating from their boat.
The Coastguard called for helicopter support. About 5.30pm, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter arrived to pick up the men, a spokesman from The Life Flight Trust, which operates the service, said.
The rugged shores of Kapiti Island provided no safe landing for rescuers and a Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic was winched 20m out of the helicopter in blustery conditions to retrieve the men.
