"I woke up one morning with a tight chest and was short of breath. All I wanted to do was take a deep breath but I couldn't. I decided I had a lung infection. I was clutching my chest but never thought it was a heart attack."
He got up and went to work. He was short of breath all morning, was sweaty and clammy but carried on working.
During his lunch break he became unwell in the staff room. A workmate could see something was seriously wrong and called an ambulance.
"I felt really scared when they called 111. I was so grateful when the ambulance arrived five minutes later."
As he was wheeled into the ambulance he went into cardiac arrest and CPR was performed.
"All I remember is one of the paramedics saying, 'we lost you Tony, you're back now stay with us'."
Yet he still didn't realise he had experienced a heart attack. On arrival at the hospital he had another arrest and then another in Accident and Emergency.
Mr Karaka was flown by helicopter to Waikato Hospital where doctors inserted two stents to clear blocked arteries.
"I think the stresses of daily living was one of the causes of my heart attack but also I have a strong family history. I just didn't think it would happen to me though, particularly at 42.
"I was a very lucky boy but from my experience I would suggest Kiwis take more notice of their bodies and keep a watch out for anything not right."
His experience had a profound effect on his family.
"My whanau were stunned that it happened to me because I was so young, even though my father and grandfather both died of heart attacks," said Mr Karaka.
"It caused a ripple effect on all my family, particularly my partner, children and male family members who realised they needed to reassess their lifestyles to try and prevent it happening to them."
Heart Foundation medical director Gerry Devlin said this was the charity's largest fundraising and awareness campaign of the year.
"While we have seen a dramatic reduction in deaths from heart disease over the past 40 years, more than 6000 people die from heart disease every year in New Zealand.
"That figure is almost 20 times the 2016 road toll," he said.
"Funds raised during the Heart Foundation's annual appeal are used to support heart-related research and specialist training for cardiologists."
The Heart Foundation is New Zealand's leading independent funder of heart research. Since 1970, it has invested more than $57 million in research and specialist training.
Heart disease at a glance:
-New Zealand's biggest killer, responsible for more than 6000 deaths every year
-172,000 Kiwis currently living with heart disease
-Kiwi women more than four times more likely to die from a heart disease than a breast cancer
Heart Foundation at a glance:
Charity leading the fight against heart disease in New Zealand. Its vision is to stop New Zealanders dying prematurely from heart disease, and help people with heart disease to live full and productive lives
New Zealand's leading independent funder of heart research. It has invested more than $57 million into research and specialist training for cardiologists since 1970
Operates nationally, with 19 regional branches
