Partner of drowned woman thanks rescuers

The partner of a woman drowned when she was dragged out to sea by the mouth of a river in the northwest of the South Island has thanked the men who tried to rescue her.

The couple were walking along the water's edge of the at the mouth of the Kohaihai River when a "freak wave" swept her away on Sunday afternoon, despite her partners efforts.

Ed Tinomana, the former chief of the Karamea fire station, got the call to join the search not long after the wave struck about 3.30pm.

He called up his mate, Matthew Lowe, who has a boat, and the pair raced to join the two helicopters which were already trying to spot the woman.

But Tinomana wasn't optimistic because the sea was so rough.

"If we were going to find anyone at all, there wasn't much hope. Not even a young person would have survived, even if their life jacket was on they would have felt it in that surf.

"The sea was pretty rough. It wasn't very nice. The sea's got no respect for anyone but you've got to have respect for the sea."

They got onto the water then after about an hour at 5.30pm, the RCCNZ rescue helicopter spotted the woman's body and Tinomana and Lowe raced over to pull it out of the water.

"It wasn't the nicest thing to come across but the good thing is we got the body and that's the main thing."

Tinomana told the Herald the woman's partner sent a thank you to the men through a nurse today.

"She said that he was very grateful."

But Tinomana said they were just grateful they could find her quickly so the search didn't have to drag on for him.

"It could have gone on for days."

Tinomana understood the couple were local tourists who were staying in Karamea in a campervan.

Tinomana said the spot, at the bottom of the popular Heaphy Track, is notorious among locals for being dangerous.

"If you're not aware of it, it will catch you unaware."

The matter has been referred to the Coroner.