Two kayakers rescued off Kawakawa Bay

Two kayakers have been rescued after they fell into the water and started drifting out to sea off Kawakawa Bay, south east of Auckland. Photo / file

Two kayakers can thank the swift actions of the emergency services after they fell into the water and started drifting out to sea.

People on shore at Kawakawa Bay, south east of Auckland, noticed that the two men were in trouble and called 111 at 6.40pm.

"While the phone call was going on they were tipped out of their kayaks and started drifting off shore," said Coastguard duty officer Johnny Clough.

"We did what is called a distress relay, issued a mayday and tasked one of our rescue vessels, Maraetai Rescue One, into the location.

"With the directions of the informant, through the Maritime Police, the rescue vessel was directed to the scene and they have picked up both people."

The kayakers had drifted 200-300m and one of them had lost their lifejacket. They were in the water for about 15 - 20 minutes.

It was unclear at this stage what had caused the men to get into trouble.

"It's quite windy out there at the moment, we're looking at between 20 and 30 knot winds," Clough said.

The men were on their way to meet an ambulance to get checked out.

It was unclear whether they had been on two kayaks or sharing one kayak.

Minutes prior to that job, Coastguard were called after a vessel struck a rock and started taking on water near Bean Rock in the Hauraki Gulf.

Two Coastguard vessels attended, picked up the occupants and towed the stricken vessel to Half Moon Bay for repairs.