KEY POINTS:
A man sailing solo from Tauranga to Honolulu was plucked to safety by a rescue helicopter after his yacht struck rocks off Auckland this morning.
Search and Rescue mission co-ordinator Mike Roberts said the American yachtie, who lives in Japan, activated his emergency beacon just after 6am and was winched to safety by the Westpac Trust Rescue Helicopter.
"It was still dark, but we were able to pinpoint the beacon to a bay on the north-east of Great Barrier Island."
The man was taken to police rescue headquarters in Auckland.
Mr Roberts said the 6.5m American registered yacht, Resolution, was "high and dry", and had sustained significant damage.
"This was a good result, and shows once again the importance of carrying a 406MHz distress beacon, which gave us immediate identification of the casualty vessel," Mr Roberts said.
- NZPA
