KEY POINTS:
A Gisborne paddler thought his number was up when his kayaker overturned in the mouth of the raging Wairoa River until two fishermen came to his aid.
Sandy Gibson managed to drag himself on to a small island of sand being quickly eroded by a torrent of water rushing past on both sides after he capsized.
Two men fishing off the beach a few hundred metres away saw him and got onto their motorbikes to raise the alarm.
Wairoa Senior Sergeant Tony Bates said when police arrived it was apparent Mr Gibson, who was on a journey from Cape Reinga to Wellington that started months ago, was in mortal danger, the Gisborne Herald reported.
"He was pacing on a little island in the sandbar and the distance he was pacing was getting shorter and shorter. The tide was coming in and the sand was going under the current," said Mr Bates.
Police called the locally-based Ashworth agricultural helicopter because they knew time was too tight to get one from Gisborne or Hawke's Bay.
Mr Bates said Mr Gibson was not the only one with a rapid heart-rate as the island washed away.
Mr Gibson said an old tyre had never looked better than the one that came down to him on a rope from the chopper.
Recovering from the ordeal in Gisborne yesterday, Mr Gibson said he was deeply grateful to the Wairoa men for their practical approach.
The Wairoa police chief had been incredible, offering him a hot shower and a set of his own clothes to wear until his wife Leigh arrived from Gisborne to pick him up.
Mr Gibson has been paddling for about six years.
- NZPA
