Waterspout picks up launch, throws on side

Two Auckland boaties are counting their blessings and nursing a few minor bumps and scrapes after their launch was tipped over by a water spout in the Hauraki Gulf last night.

The couple were enjoying a calm evening on their 9.4m launch in Smokehouse Bay, Great Barrier Island, when the water spout suddenly picked up the vessel and threw it down on its side.

Auckland Coastguard duty officer Katherine Andrews said the couple suffered a few cuts and bruises but otherwise seemed okay after the incident. The boat escaped serious damage.

She said other vessels in the bay had said there was no wind before the water spout arrived.

"Then a screaming wall of wind came over the hill and everyone in the bay appeared to hunker down for safety.

"This comes after an awe-inspiring lightning display over the Moehau Ranges at the northern end of the Coromandel Peninsula. The lightning show went on for well over an hour."

- NZPA