Frantic hunt for kayaker at Muriwai

A kayaker's body was pulled from rough surf at Muriwai Beach. Photo / NZ Herald

Onlookers have spoken of the frantic search for a kayaker knocked from his craft in crashing, 2m waves at an Auckland beach.

A woman surfing at Muriwai on Sunday saw Dein Mitchell fall out of his kayak in the rough, low-tide surf and paddled ashore to alert authorities about 2.25pm.

After a water, air and land search, the body of the 51-year-old Glenfield man was pulled from the water about an hour-and-a-half later when another surfer saw him in the whitewater.

A police spokeswoman said Mr Mitchell was at the beach alone and wearing a full-length wetsuit but no lifejacket, and was swept out of his sit-on kayak in the crashing waves.

"A number of powerful waves continued to hit and the man was separated further from his kayak.

"When the surfer came out of the water she noticed the man's kayak had washed up on the shore, but the man could not be seen."

The woman borrowed a mobile phone from a family on the beach and called 111, sparking a response from police, the Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

Muriwai resident Clinton Jones went to the beach after seeing the helicopter in the area, and described the anguish of the surfers involved.

"The woman was pretty traumatised and my wife comforted her - she was just surfing on her own and saw that happen," Mr Jones said.

"She was quite traumatised to be the last person to see him alive."

Lifesaving club president Tim Jago said he was at the club, which is in its off-season, doing maintenance with about a dozen others when the emergency call came through.

He said they used inflatable rescue boats (IRBs) to scour the area.

"At about the 90-minute mark there were a number of people sitting on the bank and they saw something very inshore, mid-beach," Mr Jones said.

"There were also a couple of guys out in the surf on their boards and then all of a sudden one raised his hand right in the whitewash and they were able to locate the body and bring him in from there on the IRBs."

Mr Jago said the conditions were "challenging" for surfers.

A police spokeswoman said Mr Mitchell's death had been referred to the coroner.