We don’t know who they are, but taking a jet boat into floodwaters to save others shows real courage and skill.
When floodwaters rose faster than help could arrive, a local jet boat crew proved once again why Kiwis build – and use – the best river boats in the world.
Radio New Zealand reports that when two motorists became trapped by floodwaters on State Highway 4 near Taumarunui in the early hours of 15 October, official rescue teams couldn’t reach them. Roads were submerged, slips blocked access, and even a rescue helicopter had to stand down. That’s when locals did what New Zealanders have done for generations — they launched a jet boat.
Designed for exactly this kind of terrain, the shallow-draft Hamilton-style jet boat remains one of New Zealand’s great home-grown innovations. Able to skim across barely a hand’s depth of water, it’s ideal for swollen rivers and flooded roads alike.
The rescuers manoeuvred through debris-laden current to reach the stranded pair, bringing them safely ashore before dawn. No injuries were reported, though the vehicle was lost to the flood.
It was a rescue that summed up Kiwi boating spirit — calm heads, capable hands, and a jet boat doing exactly what it was made to do.
Read the original coverage on Radio New Zealand.
