Brian Angliss owns one of the finest all-weather boats ever built for rescue work - and as he was unable to virtually give it away it's now up for sale.
He offered his Arun class lifeboat designed by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to Coastguard Northern Region for use on the Tutukaka coast, offering to pay the boat's insurance, marina, servicing, maintenance and survey costs.
Mr Angliss, 69, a retired UK carmaker now living at Ngunguru, also offered to cover fuel and general running costs save for when the boat was used for Coastguard work.
But the only time the Arun saw any rescue service was when it went to the aid of a Tutukaka Coastguard crew injured when their rescue boat ran on to rocks off Pataua South in 2009.
The Arun, with Mr Angliss at the helm, shepherded to safety a couple of yachties the Coastguard crew had gone out to save, then towed the rescue boat back to Tutukaka.