A father-of-three who died when a chartered fishing boat was struck by a rogue wave and sank off the Northland coast was on a "trip of a lifetime" - but also wary about the looming weather forecast, says his family.
Te Awamutu builder Mark Sanders, 43, was one of 10 people on board the charter boat Enchanter when it sank off North Cape during a wild Sunday night storm.
Sanders' mother Gael told the NZ Herald her son was a "pretty popular, amazing guy" who was on the "trip of a lifetime".
His father Graeme said he last spoke to him when he shook his hand and wished him good luck as he embarked on an adventure he had been looking forward to for two years.
Sanders said his son told him he might have to cut the fishing trip short because of the poor weather forecast. "He was worried about the forecast for the last day or so that he was fishing," Sanders told RNZ. "He told me that before he went - 'the forecast doesn't look good, we might have to come back early'."
A weather warning was issued on Saturday morning, two days after the Enchanter left Mangonui on a five-day trip to the Three Kings Islands north of Cape Reinga.
Ten people were on board when the Enchanter sank on Sunday night during the storm that swept over Northland. A rogue wave is understood to have hit the boat near Murimotu Island, breaking the bridge.
Five people were rescued and four bodies have been recovered, while one person is still missing.
Graeme Sanders said his son was wearing a life jacket but that could not save him. "We're happy that they've recovered his body and we've just got to toe the line and see what happens from now on."
Gael Sanders confirmed her youngest son's body was among those recovered on Monday. She had heard about 8am that something had happened and since then, the day had been "devastating".
"He had spoken to his family at around 6pm [Sunday] night. He has a wife and three children and was having such a wonderful time and just so happy. He'd caught some amazing fish and it was best time of his life."
Mark was a keen fisherman, a great sportsman and a builder by trade, Gael said. "He was a pretty good rugby player and he trained racehorses with his father for a few years [and] had an Auckland Cup winner."
He often fished with his dad in Kawhia, Gael said. "He just loved his fishing so much," she said.
"The only nice thing is, we're so happy that they've actually found his body. That's very special. I hate to think of him out there on his own. Six o'clock [on Sunday night], when he spoke to his family and he spoke to the three kids and his wife, he was just so happy and it was just amazing."
Police divers have this morning resumed the search for the missing person.
Conditions this morning are mixed for searchers, with poor visibility and showers, while moderate seas are forecast, Maritime NZ says.
Rescue Coordination Centre spokesman Nick Burt said today's operation would be a mix of on and in the sea, with support from the air.
Three vessels, two helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft would be involved in the search today, Burt said.
They were being briefed this morning before heading off-shore at about 8.30 am.
"While we have a number of locations of interest, we need to thoroughly check over about 500 nautical miles of ocean," he says.
It was likely the wreckage from the boat would have drifted with the current overnight, so the first goal will be locating it.
The Police dive squad would be deployed if any areas of interest were found.
The deaths at sea are a reminder of the power of Tangaroa, a Far North community leader says.
Far North District councillor for the Te Hiku ward Felicity Foy called the events unfolding at North Cape a "tragedy for Te Hiku".
"For our people it's a realisation that the Tangaroa is all-powerful."
Because of their proximity to the sea, the Te Hiku community learn to respect the "all-powerful and ever-changing sea", Foy said.
Foy's father was a commercial fisherman and knows the waters around the cape well. Her sister and family went out to Three Kings with the same charter boat company over Christmas. Foy, her children and husband do regular boat trips as well.
She said it wasn't about casting any blame; no one wanted something like this to happen.
The community was "just really sad that this has happened so close to home".
The bodies of three people were found in the morning and a fourth was recovered in the afternoon.
Far North iwi Ngāti Kuri issued a rāhui in the afternoon which will be in place for the next week from Tohoraha to Murimotu at the North Cape.
Meanwhile, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has opened an inquiry into the incident.
A protection order has been placed on all remains of the Enchanter to protect evidence.
Anyone finding debris should report this to the police.
TAIC investigators in the Far North will be speaking to people who may have information about the Enchanter and encouraging people with information to come forward.
The commission opens an inquiry when it believes the circumstances of an accident or incident have - or are likely to have - significant implications for transport safety.
An emergency beacon alert was received on Sunday night around 8pm from southeast of North Cape, according to Maritime NZ spokesman Nick Burt.
Maritime NZ runs the Rescue Coordination Centre which is in charge of the rescue effort.
A helicopter was first on scene at the remote location, arriving around 11.40pm, Burt said.
Multiple agencies were involved in the rescue including police, Westpac rescue helicopters, local fishing vessels and the NZ Defence Force.
Ground crews, including police, were also searching along the shoreline. Police divers joined the search in the evening
An active search for the remaining person unaccounted for continues today, with the rescuers "exploring every option", Maritime NZ said.
Conditions in the morning are expected to be favourable for the rescue effort.
The five people who were rescued were brought to Kaitāia Hospital in a stable condition on Monday and discharged later that day.
It is understood a group from Auckland and Waikato were on board along with some crew and experienced skipper Lance Goodhew, who is among the rescued.
Goodhew radioed in to Radio Mangonui at 10pm saying he was about an hour off North Cape before losing signal, according to iwi leader Penetaui Kleskovic.
An hour later the boat was submerged underwater at Murimotu.
"Apparently it was on their journey north back to the Three Kings that they struck torrential weather."
Kleskovic said from the time the boat sank five people had been rescued.
"It's just a miracle any of them survived. The swells were two to three metres and are coming down to 1.5 metres today."
The charter boat left from its base in Mangonui in the Far North for a five-day fishing trip.
"It's inconceivable why he would have gone out in that weather."
Kleskovic said they were all saddened by the turn of events.
"It's a dark day for the peninsula community given the maritime tragedy. Condolences and thoughts with all the whanau affected."
A midnight mercy mission saw the Enchanter's sister vessel, the Pacific Invader, leave Mangonui Harbour to help search for the missing boat, a former charter boat skipper said.
The former skipper, who would not be named, said the Pacific Invader set out during the storm after hearing the Enchanter was sinking.
He said the Enchanter's captain, Goodhew, was well known and respected.
"Everyone knows Lance - he's been chartering a long time."
"It just takes one bad wave," he said, noting the horrendous weather that had struck the North overnight.
A man who was on a fishing charter at the Three Kings at the weekend said his skipper pulled the pin on the trip at dawn on Sunday and the sea was already rough then.
"Was still a rocking trip back home. Wouldn't want to be in anything worse."
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