Unlucky journalists get sinking feeling on Lake Karapiro

Journalists attending a photo opportunity on Lake Karapiro to farewell the New Zealand Olympic rowers today got more involved with the story than they would have liked.

The group had to be rescued after the boat they were on sank.

Several hundred thousand dollars of media gear is now at the bottom of the lake. The seven journalists and the boat's pilot were rescued by rowing coaches on nearby vessels.

Reporter Andrew Alderson was at the scene, but fortunately not on the boat. He says he first realised there was a problem when a TVNZ reporter started screaming "the boat's sinking".

It appears the boat started taking on water at around 2.30pm.

- NEWSTALK ZB