Boaties badly injured in crash

Crash: Damage caused by the boat crashing into a cliff face on Lake Okataina. Photo / Supplied

A man and woman have been severely injured after their boat slammed into a cliff face on Lake Okataina.

The crash, which happened about 10.30pm on Wednesday, has sparked warnings from Rotorua Lakes coastguard president Barry Grouby, who said those kinds of incidents were happening too frequently.

"Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence and there have been several incidents around the country where boats have crashed into cliffs during the night."

Emergency services were called after reports a 6.5-metre alloy-hulled boat had crashed on Lake Okataina.

Mr Grouby said Coastguard reached the scene about 11.30pm and were there until after 2am yesterday.

He said the crash happened at the southern end of the lake, where there were "rocky outcrops".

"The force of the impact flung the woman into the boat's cabin, and the man was ejected through the windscreen and into the water.

"It was extremely lucky he wasn't knocked unconscious when he was thrown into the water. He must have been working on pure adrenaline, because he was still calling for help as we were getting him out of the water. Both have sustained severe injuries and have a long road of recovery ahead of them."

Mr Grouby said he could not determine how the crash happened as "a number of situations" could have caused the incident.

"They were on the lake in the pitch black, so there are all sorts of different situations and factors that could have led them to crashing into the cliff face.

"For example, if the pair were navigating by GPS, that would have had a part to play because, while GPS is good for telling you where you are going, it doesn't tell you what's right in front of you.

"In pitch black, they wouldn't have been able to rely on their sight."

He said it was vital people were prepared before going out on the water.

"Things like making sure they have a Coastguard membership, completing a day skipper course and letting other people know when they're out on the water can all save someone's life."

In addition to the Coastguard crew, two ambulances and the Rotoma Fire Brigade attended the incident.

Mr Grouby said volunteers from Rotorua Lakes Coastguard did an outstanding job recovering the people from the boat in "trying circumstances".