Surfers this afternoon rescued a pair of cold and exhausted boaties after a vessel flipped crossing a bar on the Canterbury coast.
The alarm was raised after a small aluminium craft overturned at Kairaki Beach, north of Christchurch around 12.20pm.
Surfers at the beach who saw the unfolding incident came to the aid of the pair, plucking them from the water and ferrying them to shore.
![Emergency services raced to the Canterbury beach after two people were rescued after their boat overturned. Photo / George Heard](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/P7WMWPF7PPFSSAFYZV5CMMJLMM.jpg?auth=97b3e033a81eb7327ff047a93b7cc8c64816a034b26bd53c7624e51e77c432f5&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
One of the rescuers, who did not want to be named, said the pair were exhausted and cold when they got to shore.