Coromandel water rescue: Teen’s heroic rescue of children swept into surf at Pokohino Beach

Emergency services staff assist at the scene on Pokohino Beach. Photo/Keira Hayidakis

• Keira Hayidakis rescued two children swept into the surf at Pokohino Beach.
• Emergency services, including helicopters, responded and airlifted the children to Auckland.
• Hayidakis praised the children’s bravery and their parents’ quick actions in calling for help.

An 18-year-old Cambridge woman has recalled the moment she saw two children swept into the surf at Pokohino Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula before racing to their rescue.

Keira Hayidakis leapt to her feet and headed straight for the water as the 10-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl bounced around in the tide shortly after 5pm on Thursday.

Fire and Emergency from Ōnemana and Whangamatā, police, St John and Auckland Westpac Rescue responded to the incident with the children winched from the beach and taken by helicopter to Auckland.

Conditions in the water were described as rough during the course of the rescue. Photo/Keira Hayidakis

Hayidakis, a recent St Peter’s School Cambridge graduate, was at the beach with friends on Thursday when conditions changed for the worse.

She said they were swimming and left the water as the waves got bigger and the tide became stronger.

The two children were in the water boogie boarding, both being watched by their mother and father, when the current became “super strong”, Hayidakis said.

The next thing she recalled was hearing their mother screaming for help.

“The current pulled them out about 50 metres; I could tell the mother wasn’t a confident swimmer.”

Hayidakis turned to her friend and asked if she should head into the water.

“She said yes, and I sprinted into the water and got crushed.

“The kids were crying and screaming, their dad was standing on rocks nearby yelling to them.”

Access to the beach location was difficult. Photo/Keira Hayidakis

Hayidakis swam alongside the rip, “fighting the waves” towards the pair who had regrouped on a boogie board

“I got near to them, shouted at them, told them to paddle to shore, then pulled towards me.

“I grabbed them, they were smashed everywhere, their heads were bobbing up and down.”

The children were winched to a rescue helicopter and flown to Auckland.

Hayidakis said she managed to secure the children under both of her arms, but they got lost again among the waves.

“One of the kids got smacked from the side, one let go; we got held under the water.”

As they fought the tide, she managed to get both children to knee-deep water where they were assisted by others. They were out of the water by about 5.20pm.

The boy was able to walk while the girl was carried on to the beach where both of them were placed in the recovery position.

“They were too tired to speak; it all felt like a very long time.”

Pokohino Beach is on the Coromandel Peninsula north of Onemana and Whangamatā.

Emergency services had been called, and a police officer was first on the scene about 5.45pm.

While other emergency services arrived, access was difficult, about a 20-minute “downhill hike”, she said.

“A fire crew came down and checked the kids, monitored them.”

Hayidakis said there was some difficulty in assessing how the children would be taken away.

Due to the difficult location, rescue helicopters were called to help.

At 6.45pm a helicopter arrived and the boy and his mother were winched off the beach, the teenager said.

Another helicopter then winched the girl off the beach.

“I’m just glad the kids were safe, that water was so violent, none of them could have predicted what was going to happen,” Hayidakis said.

“The parents were quick thinking and didn’t let them out of their sight and called for help immediately.

“The children also were incredible listeners as they followed what I told them to do and when they were pulling me under a bit, they listened and co-operated even though they were tired and scared.

“They were both incredible troupers and were so brave. Sticking together and listening to a stranger while panicked was amazing and helped us all.”

Hayidakis said she had been in contact with the family and was looking forward to seeing the children again.