Four people have been rescued off the coast of Raglan this morning after being found clinging to a floating chilly bin.
One person has been airlifted to hospital in a critical condition.
Coastguard Raglan said it was alerted to a boat in distress at 11.21am on Sunday by a fellow Coastguard volunteer member.
Rescue vessel Gallagher Rescue and jetskis Rylock Rescue One and Two launched and were on scene by 11.43am.
Three adults and one teenager were found floating in the water clinging to a chilly bin.
St John said it responded with two helicopters, one ambulance and one rapid response unit.
“Our crews have assessed and treated four patients, one in a critical condition, one in a serious condition, and two in a moderate condition who have all been transported to Waikato Hospital.”
Coastguard Raglan Gallagher Rescue skipper Lee Poolton said the rescue may not have happened without the volunteer member who alerted them to the situation.
“I truly believe that without the Raglan community and someone alerting us about this so quickly, they could still be out there, and we’d not know. It was that immediate call that made all the difference,” Poolton said.
Coastguard said it is understood that only some of those rescued were wearing lifejackets, and no bar watch or trip report had been logged.
Poolton said the Raglan bar can be dangerous to navigate, and the conditions were “atrocious” this morning with an outgoing tide and a two-metre swell.
“At this stage, the vessel has not been located and we suspect it may have sunk.”
“The rest of the Coastguard Raglan crew did a stellar job and acted really quickly and efficiently throughout the rescue.”