Auckland Coastguard kept busy as wild weather tosses water vessels around

Flood in Otaihanga. Photo / NewsNewZealand

Rough winds and wild seas around the North Island have sunk a jet ski, roughly flung a yacht around and caused one ship to risk running aground onto rocks this afternoon.

Two people have also needed medical treatment in two separate water incidents this afternoon that have kept the coastguard and emergency services rather busy.

An Auckland coastguard spokesman said in the first incident this morning, a person had to be pulled from a sinking jet ski in Katia Bay, Whangaparoa.

He said the person was wet, cold and possibly hypothermic.

"He was tended to by volunteer crew and released to the care of his family."

Shortly after two this afternoon the coastguard was also alerted to a vessel, in the Bay of Islands dragging its anchor into the rocks.

"We are currently monitoring the situation," the coastguard spokesman said. "He's fairly secure on two anchors, but we will just be monitoring it."

He said there was one person on board the vessel, but he wasn't in imminent danger.

In the third incident at sea, shortly before three this afternoon, the coastguard had to attend to a yacht at Bean Rock, just off Bastion Point in the Waitemata Harbour.

"A person on board the yacht has sustained a head injury as a result of the yacht changing rather suddenly," he said.

The injured person was being treated by Westpac Helicopter paramedics at Orakei marina.

There were a number of other people on the yacht at the time, but all managed to avoid injury.

The coastguard spokesman said it had been a pretty rough day out at sea, but fortunately most people had heeded advice and stayed out of the water.

"It's fairly blustery at the moment," he said. "There's not a lot of people out there which is good, all have been heading the weather warnings. Just a couple of incidents, but had there been more out there it could have been worse.

"People have generally been listening to the warnings."

Back on land police in the central part of the island had issued a warning to motorists to drive with care as the wild weather also lashed the mainland.

Rain has been falling over much of the North Island today, with Auckland, the Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa the hardest hit.

All this rain has been keeping our operations crews busy this morning. If you're venturing out today please take care,...

Posted by Kāpiti Coast District Council on Friday, 16 September 2016

But the unseasonal dumping of rain today which also saw Aucklanders brave the elements in rain jackets and umbrellas is predicted to ease tonight and over the weekend, WeatherWatch analyst Philip Duncan said.

"There will be more rain in places like Auckland over the next few days with some heavy downpours and isolated thunder in Auckland and Northland by tonight.

"But generally this shouldn't be too bad. It will ease this evening and be more settled tomorrow, with temperatures in the mid to high teens."

Although the Wellington and Kapiti Coast regions took the worst of the weather today this too will slow up and improve by tomorrow.