Piha rescue with a difference

30 children joined forces to pull a Land Rover out of the water at Piha. Photo / Supplied by Paul Hogan

Tug-of-war practice came in handy for a group of King's Swim Club youngsters yesterday morning when a Land Rover got stuck in the water.

The juniors were at their Christmas party when the vehicle, which had been ferrying children up and down the West Auckland beach, got caught by the tide.

Piha resident Paul Hogan said it took less than a minute for the 30 children aged between 7 and 13 to pull the vehicle out of the lagoon at 11.30am.

"I think what took the longest was the adults deciding what they were going to do. At a guess it'd weigh ... maybe about 1.5 tonnes."

The children's solution was simpler than the one Piha adults had tried, Mr Hogan said. "They did bring another vehicle down the beach to tow it out but it got stuck in the sand. There was a bit of chaos to sort out."