“We don’t normally get nice boats or any boats mooring off the tip of that island.”
About 4.45pm this afternoon, Coastguard NZ confirmed it was alerted to a yacht with three people and two dogs on board that had run up against rocks at Opito Bay in Northland.
“On arrival, they found the vessel had taken on water, but all people and pets were safely ashore, with the skipper assessing the damage from a dinghy. Volunteers assisted with securing the vessel at the scene,” a Coastguard NZ spokesperson said.
“The vessel has since sunk at the entrance to Opito Bay in the Kerikeri Inlet.”
Reeves said everybody returning to the bay from a day of fishing was stopping to look at the sinking vessel.
“Everyone is turning up in their little dingies, stopping to check it out because they’re probably wondering if there are people on board.”
Reeves said locals were also walking on the rocks around the bay to get a look.
Three people and two dogs escaped to shore after their boat collided with rocks in Northland. Photo / Supplied
He guessed there was an air bubble inside the boat, causing the slow sinking.
“That’s why, by the time it comes to the morning, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was above water.”
Reeves didn’t see anyone nearby who may have been on the boat.
“We have seen all the things float off it. It’s very unusual to have a nice launch just dumped there and sinking.”
He told the Herald the vessel was a two-deck launch, roughly 12m long.
“If it were my boat worth a couple of hundred grand, I would be on those rocks, crying, watching it.”
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.