A 24-year-old man is missing in Titahi Bay after a group of friends got caught in a rip around 4pm this afternoon.
Police central communications spokesman Ian Harris said that four or five people got into trouble while swimming in Titahi Bay, north of Porirua.
Four were rescued from the water, but one man, believed to be in his early 20s, remains unaccounted for and is presumed drowned.
Two have been taken to hospital for treatment, he said.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Mana Coastguard and the Titahi Bay Surf Lifesaving Club were all scouring the area for the missing man.
