Troubled teen sparks rescue

Photo / File

A 15-year-old girl has been rescued after jumping off a bluff and swimming more than three hours to an island.

The girl's disappearance from Matauri Bay on Sunday sparked a major search and rescue exercise.

Coastguard vessels from the Bay of Islands and Whangaroa, and the Kerikeri-based Coastguard Air Patrol plane scanned the waters between Matauri Bay and the Cavalli Islands.

She was eventually spotted from the air on a beach on Motukawanui Island, about 3km from Matauri Bay, and picked up by Whangaroa Rescue.

Senior Sergeant Peter Robinson, of Kerikeri police, said the 15-year-old had ended up in the water after threatening self-harm.

Police were alerted at 12.30pm and she was found about 4pm. It was not clear how long she had been in the water but it was thought to be three-to-four hours.

She was taken back to Matauri Bay where she was placed in the care of her family and mental-health workers.