The "incredible initiative" of a sinking boaties' wife saw him rescued within two hours after she provided Coastguard with a location from a mobile phone locator app.
The man rang his wife just before midnight yesterday from an area around Moturoa Island, in the Bay of Islands, saying his 4.7 metre powerboat was sinking and the water was already "above his knees", Coastguard Northern Region said in a Facebook post.
The phonecall was cut off as the man's boat sank from under him and he was not able to provide an accurate location, the post said.