Diary Flat woman Rachel Taylor speaking after dragging two teenage girls out of the surf after they became stranded in a rip at Orewa Beach on February 7.
A Friday evening stroll to the bottle shop along Orewa Beach with her pooch Mylo turned into a matter of life and death for Rachel Taylor, as she rushed into the surf fully clothed to drag two girls out of a rip.
Taylor was walking along the Hibiscus Coast beach about 8.30pm when the screams from scattered children rose to an alarming level.
"I could hear screaming but you just think it's kids playing on the beach really. But I could see two people in the water and realised they were screaming for help," the 30-year-old Dairy Flat woman said.
"I don't know, adrenaline kicks in, you just drop everything and run into the water and help them. Where they were was quite a big rip. They couldn't touch the ground. One of the girls was saying she was really tired.
"I think they were just on the cusp of getting into real trouble."
The two girls, 13 to 14 years old, had become stuck in a rip, and concerned onlookers were unable to venture into the surf. The parents of one of the stranded girls were unable to swim but their father had ventured in as far as he could stand in the water.
Dairy Flat woman Rachel Taylor dragged two teenage girls out of the surf after they became stranded in a rip at Orewa Beach on Februrary 7. Her dog Milo accompanied her into the surf. Photo / Supplied
The mother stood on the shore, alongside another local couple who were also unable to assist.
Hibiscus Coast local Jennie Ready did not think she was a strong enough swimmer to head in - and her husband had just had surgery, and felt equally ill equipped for the rescue.
Ready posted her account of the rescue on the Hibiscus Coast Facebook page to acknowledge Taylor's bravery, as she did not get her name that night.
"I'm not sure she will be on here but I wanted to say thank you so much for the brave girl walking her lovely dog Mylo last night that saved two girls from drowning at Orewa Beach," Ready wrote.
Ready later told the Herald Taylor "was a hero" for acting so quickly and selflessly.
"My husband has recently had surgery and I'm not a strong swimmer and it was too far to run to the surf club, which was closed anyway," Ready said.
"So I tried to call the police feeling really helpless and hoping it would somehow help. Anyway, thankfully the lovely girl had also heard the calls for help and went sprinting into the water fully clothed and swam out to them.
Taylor says she had some experience life saving in a Queenstown tourism job and didn't hesitate to plunge in.
"I was wearing a dress, but it was okay to swim in.
"I just reassured them that everything was going to be okay and got them to float on their backs into shore and just grabbed them one by one and started pulling them." Taylor said, once back on shore the two girls were quite upset and in tears. Their dad was in shock.
"They were just in tears, being consoled by one of their mothers - who was also thanking me profusely," Taylor said.
After leaving the beach, Taylor said the first thing she did was call her parents and thank them for forcing her to take swimming lessons at 5am all throughout her childhood.
"Fortunately I've got a swimming background, courtesy of my parents. I got up most mornings at 5am to go swimming. Shout out to my mum and dad," Taylor said.
"I'm a confident swimmer, had a little bit of lifeguard training, so kind of knew the whole routine of helping a person in trouble in the water.
