KEY POINTS:
A whitebaiter was swept to his death on the West Coast yesterday.
Hokitika police constable Neil Gillespie said the 61-year-old had been one of a group fishing at the mouth of the Hokitika River, 40km southwest of Greymouth, about 1.10pm.
The closest to the sea, he was overtaken by a large rogue wave from behind. His body was found a short time later.
