A Nelson woman was saved from certain death by a group of Waverley locals last weekend after her kayak tipped in rough seas.
The woman, staying in the area with her husband on holiday, was caught out by a rising "king" tide and severe winds on January 4 and had to be dragged to safety.
After her kayak capsized, the woman sought refuge in a cave. However, the tide was coming in. It wasn't until after her empty kayak washed up that three Waverley men swimming nearby saw her.
Seven residents of Waverley Beach village worked to lift the woman up a 30m cliff to safety, using an anchor rope from a boat belonging to one of the rescuers. The wives and girlfriends of the men lay on their feet and legs to anchor them to the cliff.
"We had no other option," one of the rescuers said. "The people on the pier guided us as we couldn't see her. She had a good look at the rope to see that it would hold her, before tying it around her. We all walked her about 30m around the cliff to a small cove, and that's when she started to lose consciousness."