Four cling to drifting box in stormy seas

A day of floundering almost turned to tragedy for four people - but an unusual flotation device helped keep them alive. Photo / Andrew McGillivray

Four people survived a night adrift in stormy northern seas by clinging to a plastic bin - and praying the current would wash them ashore.

Three members of the Iosefa family from West Auckland and friend Siosifa Tupou were fishing for flounder and piper in the Kaipara Harbour at Tapora, south-west of Wellsford, when they became disoriented by the rain, wind and darkness and could not find shallow water.

Eventually they were washed out to sea, clinging on to the white plastic bin as the storm raged.

Eight hours later, at about 7am eight days ago, they struggled ashore cold and exhausted 8km north of Pouto Lighthouse.

The Reverend Suamalie Iosefa, a minister of the Congregation of Christian Church, said God had given him the resource for their survival - the plastic bin.

He told his son and daughter-in-law Elisaia and Easter, both in their 20s, and Tupou, who is in his 40s, not to be scared.

He told them to throw everything out of the bin except the torch and to each hold on to a corner and let the current take them back to shore.

"I told them to throw the fish far into the channel so as not to attract sharks and kept the torch to signal if the chance arose."

Tuvalu-born Iosefa said they kept calm and, when the sea filled the bin, they emptied it out.

Born in Tuvalu he said the family, who have lived in New Zealand for 10 years, were familiar with the sea and were good swimmers.

Their culture considered the sea their friend and they had faith they would survive. "We kept our confidence up with prayers and when we got too cold we kicked hard for a short time to warm up."

Just before dawn they saw some lights off the point and thought about kicking for shore, but the current was too strong so they waited until they were pushed around past the point where there was less wind.

On reaching shore, the four headed south to look for help.

The two older men eventually pushed ahead to hail local farmer Christine McGillivray for help.

McGillivray said she saw two exhausted-looking men coming off the beach waving with their hands above their heads.

"We are used to having to pull stranded vehicles off the beach, but when they said they had no vehicle and had come from Tapora I asked them where their boat was. I couldn't believe it when they explained what had happened."

Her husband Andrew picked up the other two in a 4WD and brought them to the farmhouse for a much-needed cup of tea and rest.

Iosefa then phoned his wife but, without giving too much detail, asked to be picked up in Dargaville.

"We were blessed to be spared," he said. "I had confidence God would take us to shore."

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE