Three people have been rescued after being caught in a rip and one woman has drowned at Hukatere on Ninety Mile Beach.
A police officer was among rescuers who rushed into the water to haul the struggling swimmers to safety at around 3.50pm this afternoon.
The woman was the last to be found in the surf and it is understood she was unconscious when dragged onto the beach. Fire service personnel and other rescuers gave her CPR for 20 minutes while waiting for an ambulance to reach the scene.
It is understood two children got caught in a rip while swimming at the beach and the other two people went into help them.
The ambulance arrived near the remote scene at about 4.30pm but was unable to cross soft sand to get onto to the beach at the end of Hukatere Rd.