Missing boaties found on island

Three people who failed to return after a fishing trip near Matauri Bay were this morning found sheltering on an island.

They were in a 6m runabout when they left Te Ngaire Bay near Matauri Bay, 58km north of the Bay of Islands, yesterday morning.

The alarm was raised when they failed to return yesterday afternoon.

Today, a fixed-wing aircraft involved in the search and rescue for the missing boat, located the three at a Department of Conservation hut on the Cavalli Islands.

Police said the boat sank shortly after the crew began fishing and the three had to swim to safety.

They were all suffering from exposure but are otherwise unharmed.

Northern Coast Guard search and rescue coordinator Dean Lawrence said the three were found on the main Cavalli Island of Motukawanui, 4km northeast of Matauri Bay, around 9.30am. They were at first said to be three men, but Newstalk ZB later reported there were two men and a woman.

"They had spent a pretty cold and miserable night but I imagine they're pretty happy to be headed home for a hot shower now," he said.

At first light this morning, an aircraft resumed the search along with a boat doing shoreline checks.

The four-man crew aboard the boat spotted the castaways.The wind was blowing 20 knots from the north west this morning and improving, said the Northern Region Coastguard in Auckland.

It was not known what emergency gear the boat carried, but police said the three men had no lifejackets or flares.

Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe from the Whangarei police search and rescue team, earlier said three Kaeo men, aged between 29 and 31, were reported missing off Te Ngaire Bay about midnight.

The Northland Electricity rescue helicopter yesterday searched the area but was hampered by low cloud and mist.

"They had no oars, no flares, no lifejackets and they didn't tell anyone where they were going," Mr Metcalfe said.

- NZPA, HERALD ONLINE STAFF