Three men rescued from sinking yacht near Rakino Island in Hauraki Gulf after it ran aground in rough weather

One man was seriously injured and two suffered minor injuries after their yacht crashed on to rocks in the Hauraki Gulf.

The three injured men were winched to safety from the sinking yacht after running aground in rough weather on Easter Sunday.

The boat came off its mooring and hit rocks on South Island, near Rakino, in the Hauraki Gulf.

At 9.10 pm, the crew of the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter assisted Coastguard to get the men off the sinking boat.

The crew on the Westpac 2 helicopter were tasked, originally by ambulance and then the Rescue Coordination Centre, to assist.

The crew retrieved the men “in challenging conditions” and winched them 20-25m in the air to the chopper.

All three were flown to Auckland City Hospital.