New first response rescue vessel for Coastguard Rotorua Lakes

Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), one of 12 lakes Coastguard Rotorua Lakes covers. Photo / File

Coastguard Rotorua Lakes will officially launch its new rescue vessel on Monday after five years of fundraising and planning.

Described as a first response vessel, the 5.3m Naiad can be launched quickly from a trailer enabling the volunteer crew to swiftly respond to boaties in trouble on any of the 12 lakes the unit covers.

The new boat cost $95,000 to build and will replace the unit's current smaller vessel Mokoia which has served the local community for 15 years.

The unit also has a larger 8m rescue vessel Rotorua Rescue.

"Mokoia was rapidly coming to the end of its natural life so we needed to start looking at building a new quick response vessel that can be used in shallow water," Coastguard Rotorua Lakes treasurer Kevin Winters said.

"We're extremely grateful for the financial support we received from Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust and the Coastguard Unit Development Fund which have made this new build possible by covering half of the costs."

The unit covered the remaining costs themselves through fundraising any way they could.

"You name it, we did it," Winters said.

Coastguard Rotorua Lakes vice president Sam Casey, who project managed the new vessel build, said a lot of thought had gone into building a rescue vessel fit for purpose and the environment the unit's volunteers operate in.

"The new boat is more streamlined and feels safer in bigger seas than Mokoia. Out on the lake we can get really large swells and a messy chop that can hit the boat from all sides," he said.

A recent rescue on Boxing Day showed just how dangerous the lake can get in a short amount of time when Coastguard Rotorua Lakes volunteers rescued a father and daughter minutes away from death.

The pair had not long launched their jet ski and were only 300m from shore when conditions on the lake dramatically changed and they were hit side on by a wave and thrown from the jet ski.

Severely hypothermic and with waves crashing over their heads, the pair were saying their goodbyes when the Coastguard Rotorua Lakes crew came into sight and plucked them from the lake, undoubtedly saving their lives.

The unit do a number of rescues at night so the new boat is also fitted with the latest Simrad electronics and navigation equipment to ensure they are able to carry out these search and rescue operations as effectively and efficiently as possible.

The official launch and blessing of the new vessel will take place at 6pm on Monday at the Coastguard Rotorua Lakes base, 1 Mataiawhea St, Rotorua.