Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga boatie relives harbour ordeal

By Chris Steel
Bay of Plenty Times·
24 Sep, 2014 07:35 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Wayne Redman hung on to the upturned hull of his boat after it capsized in Tauranga Harbour. Photo / John Borren
Wayne Redman hung on to the upturned hull of his boat after it capsized in Tauranga Harbour. Photo / John Borren

Wayne Redman hung on to the upturned hull of his boat after it capsized in Tauranga Harbour. Photo / John Borren

Wayne Redman clung to the upturned hull of his boat for hours in icy-cold water fearing he might not survive.

The Katikati 60-year-old spent Friday night in Tauranga's harbour trying to make his way to shore after his 3.6m runabout capsized, sparking a search and rescue operation.

Speaking after being discharged from Tauranga Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Redman said his gums were still sore after shaking from the cold.

Mr Redman left the Beach Rd boat ramp about 2.30pm on Friday, heading out to fish for an hour. He was only wearing a T-shirt, shorts, jandals and a lifejacket.

Out in the harbour, he realised he was in the wrong spot by about 20m, so decided to move. He quickly pulled up anchor and set off. Then the motor stopped.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I saw the anchor rope tangled round the prop, so I lifted the motor up. With my weight at the back of the boat and the anchor grabbing, it [the boat] went over."

Mr Redman ended up in the water but managed to climb on to the upturned hull.

"I thought, 'well I'm breathing air and hanging on - I'm not going to die of drowning'."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Redman said his partner Eve was at work until 11.30 that night and her mother was the only person who knew where he was.

Attempts to contact him on his cellphone failed, and police were concerned about the deteriorating weather conditions and the length of time Mr Redman had been missing.

"At the start, when I was with boat, I had an hour of incoming tide. I thought I'd let the boat go and drift in with my lifejacket and get to a sandbar," Mr Redman said. "Then I thought if I let the boat go and the tide changes, I might have the times wrong."

He decided to stay with the boat and wait for the tide to turn to free it.

Discover more

Tauranga harbour focus of annual plan

10 Jul 11:00 PM

Consultation on Tauranga beach name ending

08 Aug 12:45 AM

Investigation into Tauranga harbour rosin spill

11 Aug 04:03 AM

Missing fisherman found

19 Sep 08:48 PM

"In actual fact the boat saved my life."

He said when the boat was freed up, it started floating out towards the channel.

"It was dark and I was sitting on the motor, then it hit something. I put my foot down and I was on a sandbank in knee-deep water, so I got out of the boat and was holding on there for few hours. When the tide turned, I got back on it."

When daylight came, Mr Redman headed for a farm house, tramping through mangroves.

Farmer Jack By-de-Ley was shocked to find Mr Redman, wet and trembling, on his doorstep.

Mr Redman's partner, Eve, said everyone was looking for a body, but she knew he would be alive.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I'd just finished telling all the search and rescue people that he was like a cat with nine lives and then the phone call came that they'd found him."

- Additional reporting Amy McGillivray

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake rattles Bay of Plenty

Bay of Plenty Times

Meet the candidates running for Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga GP honoured for 'investing in the next generation of doctors'


Sponsored

Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

Body found in search for diver missing in Wellington
New Zealand

Body found in search for diver missing in Wellington

South Auckland school goes into lockdown after incident
New Zealand

South Auckland school goes into lockdown after incident

The Chase star's surprising career move
Entertainment

The Chase star's surprising career move

What's it like staying in a $6k a night penthouse in Queenstown?
Travel

What's it like staying in a $6k a night penthouse in Queenstown?

'You can kill me': Identical twins on trial for brutal home assault and threats
Crime

'You can kill me': Identical twins on trial for brutal home assault and threats

'Farewell Magda': Sam Neill mourns death of 'beloved' pet
Entertainment

'Farewell Magda': Sam Neill mourns death of 'beloved' pet



Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake rattles Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty Times

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake rattles Bay of Plenty

The rumble was registered at a depth of 127km.

05 Aug 05:49 AM
Meet the candidates running for Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Bay of Plenty Times

Meet the candidates running for Bay of Plenty Regional Council

05 Aug 04:26 AM
Tauranga GP honoured for 'investing in the next generation of doctors'
Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga GP honoured for 'investing in the next generation of doctors'

05 Aug 02:39 AM


Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’
Sponsored

Revealed: The night driving ‘red flag’

04 Aug 11:37 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search