Sea rescue bill $250,000

A Rotorua family rescued after being lost at sea want to help pay some of the $250,000 it cost for the search and rescue operation.
Ngongotaha's Rua Toetoe, his son TK, 13, his cousin Billy Mackie and his daughter Janie, 15, plus another family member, Henare Gardiner, 13, were lost at sea for 28 hours after leaving the Kaituna Cut at Maketu on December 30.
The huge cost of the rescue operation has prompted a plea from Coastguards for boaties to plan their trips well and to always make sure they have the necessary safety equipment.
The $250,000 cost of the family's rescue, tallied by Wellington's Rescue Co-ordination Centre, has shocked the family who say they want to try and pay at least some of it back.
Mr Toetoe and Mr Mackie launched the 5.5m runabout Weight 'N' Sea at Maketu about 8.30am to collect seafood near Motiti Island, for a family gathering.
They became lost when fog came down and sent a text message to family members in Rotorua to say they needed help.
The Tauranga Coastguard, an Airforce Orion, a Taupo sea rescue boat and two rescue helicopters, along with hundreds of volunteers in boats, searched from White Island to Mt Maunganui for 18 hours. The group spent a night in 5m swells and were finally found trying to paddle back to Maketu with paddles made from cupboard doors tied to poles.
All five were wearing lifejackets but a marine radio on board had been damaged when someone fell on it and a bucket of flares was accidentally left behind.
A spokesperson at the Rescue Co-Ordination Centre in Wellington said the rescue cost $250,000 and involved 280 man-hours.
Mr Toetoe's wife, Sophie Toetoe, told The Daily Post she was indebted to the rescuers and wanted to pay some of the cost to help fund future searches.
Stunned by the figure of $250,000, she said the family wanted to make regular donations to the Rotorua Volunteer Coastguard.
"It's shocking. I feel really bad. That is a lot of money. I'm quite embarrassed about it ... We'd really like to help out in some way. We have nothing but praise for the people who gave up their time to help search for our family," she said.
"Money can't replace your loved ones ... I'd have paid anything to have them back when they were missing. That feeling of dread when they were lost will stay with me forever."
It rained in Rotorua the morning they put to sea but was fine at Maketu when they set off for a few hours' diving, turning bad after they launched.
Tauranga Coastguard spokesman Graeme Murray said boaties must take the right equipment to ensure a safe trip, including a working marine radio, an emergency position indicating beacon, flares and lifejackets.
"It's having all this gear and knowing how to use it in an emergency that can save you," Mr Murray said.
He would not comment on whether people should be billed for being rescued. "We are here to educate, not blame people," he said.