By TONY WALL
Tim Hubbard was an intelligent, "switched-on guy" who dedicated his life to helping fellow Waiheke Islanders.
But one act of foolishness cost him his life.
Mr Hubbard and his friend Mark Butler, from Australia, set out from Blackpool in a borrowed 5m open sailing dinghy for a spot of fishing on Sunday without flares, communications or lifejackets which could have saved their lives.
Their bodies were found floating in the Tamaki Strait near Beachlands yesterday morning by the police Eagle helicopter after an all-night search and rescue operation.
The dinghy was found upturned about 100m from the bodies. It is thought the boat capsized in strong winds and a moderate chop.
Police and the Auckland Coastguard criticised the men for not wearing lifejackets and for going out in bad weather, and said the tragedy was a reminder to all boaties to be careful at sea.
The coastguard also said it had not been notified that the pair were overdue until after 10 pm, which cost precious searching time.
Mr Hubbard, 47, was a Waiheke Island identity, having served on the island's community board and in the volunteer fire brigade.
He trained as a prospector and was a geologist before he and his wife, Silvia, moved to the island 15 years ago, drawn by their love of the Hauraki Gulf.
The couple were in the process of establishing a bio-solids composting unit on the island.
Mr Butler, 40, had lived in Australia for 14 years but had stayed with the Hubbards for the past three months.
On Sunday morning, Mr Hubbard borrowed the dinghy from an acquaintance and used it to shadow his four children, who were sailing in another boat.
He gave the children the best lifejackets.
Both boats then returned to Blackpool and Mr Hubbard stocked up with food and soup for the afternoon fishing trip.
Mrs Hubbard told the Herald yesterday her husband was a competent sailor but his decision not to take lifejackets was foolish. "I'm sure he'd admit that, but I don't think he intended to go beyond the bay."
She said her husband was well liked and respected on the island.
"He always had an interest in the welfare of the people on the island. If there was a need, there was Tim.
"He had a smile for everyone and that's how islanders will remember him."
Mr Hubbard was also chairman of the Sea Scouts, and organised a relief programme in 1995 which involved bringing to Waiheke Island 100 children made homeless by Japan's Kobe earthquake.
He was helping to raise money for the high school's new gymnasium before his death.
He is survived by children Richard, Anne, David and Rosy.
Meanwhile, rivers overflowed, vehicles crashed and roads were cut yesterday as heavy rain and high winds hit the lower North Island.
The Wellington Regional Council's main catchment site in the Tararua Ranges had recorded 780mm of rain in the past three days, roughly what Masterton received in a year.
The threat of flooding receded in many areas as the band of rain responsible moved off to the east, but the town of Martinborough in the Wairarapa remained on alert last night as the Ruamahunga River approached its floodpeak.
A Wairarapa District Council spokesman said the peak was expected to be between 10 pm and midnight, and the river was being carefully monitored.
The council hoped stopbanks would protect the town, despite some minor breaches yesterday.
Wairarapa farms had surface flooding at lower levels but farmers had heeded warnings and moved stock to higher ground and no problems had been reported.
The Waikanae River burst its banks at Otaihanga shortly after noon yesterday and nearby properties were sandbagged to protect them from floodwater.
Several houses at the southern end of Otaki Beach were surrounded in ankle-deep water.
Motorists in the Wellington, Wairarapa and Manawatu regions were urged to take care, as slips and flooding caused problems on the roads.
State Highway 2 between Carterton and Masterton was closed for a time.
In Lower Hutt, police removed cars from a carpark to protect them from flooding as the Hutt River rose rapidly.
The flood surge began in Lower Hutt just on midday when water began spilling into the riverbank carpark.
Hundreds of spectators came to watch and police had to use loud hailers to warn them of the rising water. Surface flooding was reported in 30 streets in Hutt city.
State Highway 3 from Patea to Waverley in the Wanganui district was cut to one lane because of slips.
The Whanganui River was swollen but the Wanganui District Council said it was unlikely to breach stopbanks.
However, stormwater drains overflowed in the town and some roads in the district were closed after surface flooding.
Civil Defence said the risk of flooding would increase if heavy rain continued.
The weather caused a spate of crashes. In Wellington a four-wheel drive flipped on State Highway 1 at the Tawa interchange at 7.25 am.
A person was flown to Palmerston North Hospital by rescue helicopter after a milk truck ran off the road on State Highway 1 north of Otaki.
River levels in the King Country rose because of heavy rain, but stopbanks held and emergency services reported few problems.
State Highway 30 from Benneydale and Kopaki, south of Te Kuiti, was blocked to light vehicles.
Fears of flooding receded in Taranaki as the weather eased. The Taranaki Regional Council said rainfall rates were falling off in all areas except the north-eastern hill country.
"All rivers, other than those draining the eastern hill country, are receding, and further rain forecast ... will only have minor effects.
"Rivers still flowing at a high level will continue to be monitored until river levels no longer present a threat of flooding."
In the Manawatu, persistent rain led to flooding and slips that forced roads to close. Police advised motorists and the public to stay at home and avoid driving in the area unless it was absolutely necessary.
In the South Island, wind gusts damaged trees, power poles and roofs around Canterbury.
A Christchurch 4-year-old had a narrow escape after a tree in the backyard narrowly missed crushing him.
Jamie Collins was playing on the swing attached to the tree when he decided to move to the sandpit.
Five minutes later, the 10m tree crashed to the ground, landing centimetres away from the pit.
Jamie's father, Ross, said the base of the tree had rotted, and a strong gust blew it over.
If Jamie had still been on the swing, he would probably have been crushed, he said.
"We've had worse winds than this before.
"I'm just glad he wasn't on the swing when it fell."
Jamie was unharmed, and appeared to take the incident in his stride, he said.
All parts of the region suffered from strong nor'west gusts, toppling power poles and chimneys, and lifting several roofs.
MetService spokesman Tony Hawkins said Kaikoura had gale force winds gusting up to 119 km/h.
Le Bons Bay on Banks Peninsula experienced an average wind speed of 93 km/h and Lyttelton had an average of 74 km/h.
Operations at Lyttelton Port were suspended for several hours today after high winds made crane work dangerous.
A port spokeswoman said marine operations had not been affected but work on the docks was halted after several containers were blown over.
The stoppage would not affect port business, as the loading could be completed once the winds abated, she said.
Air traffic controllers reported winds of 20 to 35 knots, gusting up to 50 knots.
An airport spokesman said there had been no major disruptions to business, but some flights were running late.
On the West Coast, large areas of south Westland were left without phones after a lightning strike on a Telecom tower. A Telecom spokeswoman said about 800 homes were affected.
'Foolish act' costs fishermen their lives
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