Two people and their boat are back at the Mangawhai ramp after Coastguard Mangawhai responded to a report of a vessel taking on water off the coast on Thursday 16 July 2026.
When Kōkako Rescue reached the scene, the crew found the pair standing in ankle deep water inside their boat. Both were transferred across to Kōkako Rescue, after which the crew secured the disabled vessel and towed it back to Mangawhai. The occupants and their boat both reached the ramp safely.
The response itself was quick by any measure. Coastguard Mangawhai had Kōkako Rescue underway within 15 minutes of the initial callout, and reached the stricken boat 10 minutes later.
Afterwards, Coastguard Mangawhai praised the crew’s quick and professional response, crediting them with a job well done.
Thursday’s job came roughly eight months after Coastguard Mangawhai became operational, in November 2025, with rescue vessel Kōkako Rescue, a beach launching tractor and a base near the Mangawhai Heads reserve. The unit was established to close a response gap on a stretch of coast between the neighbouring Kawau and Whangārei units, driven by population growth and rising boat traffic in the area.
It did not take long for that gap to be tested. In December 2025, the unit’s first callout saw crew reach a disabled boat carrying three people and three dogs. Partway through towing it back to Mangawhai, a broken hatch combined with increasing sea state caused the boat to take on more water, prompting the crew to transfer the occupants and dogs onto Kōkako Rescue and bring them ashore directly. Coastguard Whangārei’s Circa Rescue then took over the tow of the empty vessel itself, delivering it to Marsden Cove.
And from that point, they’ve kept going. Some notable stories include a February 2026 rescue where skipper Roy Pearson and a crew of four were called out to a yacht, Muritai, in difficulty off Cape Rodney. Muritai‘s engine was unreliable, repeatedly cutting out and overheating, and fuel had leaked onto the deck. Muritai’s own crew jury rigged the headsail before Kōkako Rescue escorted the yacht to Marsden Cove.
By mid April 2026, Coastguard Mangawhai had logged nine incidents and assisted 22 people since becoming operational, figures the unit published as it marked its formal recognition. The figures have not stood still. Thursday’s rescue adds to the record, and continues to demonstrate the value of having a locally based unit on this part of the coast.
