Fisherman saved off cliff after boat flips

Mr Franklin said he was grateful to the rescue helicopter crew and he would donate $500 to the trust. Photo / Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust

Angler says his main fear was what to tell his wife when he arrived home without any fish for dinner.

A man rescued from a ledge after a fishing trip went horribly wrong was worried about what to tell his wife when he got home without any fish.

Gordon Franklin was winched to safety after big waves in Taranaki bowled his boat over and sent him scrambling for cover on a ledge as the tide came in.

Mr Franklin, 66, was on the Tongaporutu River in a small catamaran yesterday morning.

The local man said the bar at the river mouth, 67km northeast of New Plymouth, was known to be dangerous, but everything seemed fine when he approached it.

"When I was halfway out a big curler came towards me. I thought 'Mmm, this isn't good'." He turned around and tried heading back to safety.

"Unfortunately I left it a bit too late and the wave caught up with me and just cartwheeled me. He was wearing a lifejacket and waterproof clothes and soon reached shallow water near some cliffs.

"Luckily it shallowed out so I managed to get to my feet," Mr Franklin said. "I saw a ledge and climbed up about 10, 15 feet."

It was then a question of waiting.

"I was very lucky to find this, to be able to climb out of the surf. I'm just very happy to be able to tell the tale. It was pretty scary," he said.

"I was just thinking what the wife was going to say to me when I got home, with no fish."

He was winched to safety when the Taranaki Community Rescue Helicopter arrived.

Photo / Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust

A medic checked him and gave him the all-clear before police took him home to his wife.

"She was a bit alarmed when she saw the police car arrive but when she saw the guy get out smiling, she knew they didn't have bad news."

Mr Franklin said he was grateful to the rescue helicopter crew and he would donate $500 to the trust.

He also thanked Tongaporutu locals who helped retrieve his boat.

Police and the rescue helicopter praised Mr Franklin for being well-equipped and said the rescue went smoothly.

Photo / Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust

Meanwhile, a 74-year-old man fishing with family and friends was still missing near Auckland's Manukau Heads last night.

The missing man was one of two men in a 5.5m boat which overturned while crossing the Manukau Bar via the south channel about 5pm on Thursday.

People on a nearby boat managed to pull one man from the water unhurt, but the elderly man did not surface. Both men were wearing life jackets.

Police maritime unit Senior Constable Garry Larsen said the people in the second boat were friends of the missing man. NZME.