Darkness, wind and lively seasKawau Volunteer Coastguard said rescue crews navigated darkness, wind and “lively” seas. The person was not visible from tracks on the ridge, so Coastguard crews guided land-based rescuers. “Our task was not to rescue them but to try to locate them from the water point of view to help the land-based rescue team to find them,” Kawau Volunteer Coastguard said. “It was dark, and so going closer became a bit more challenging,” Kawau Volunteer Coastguard said. Crews located the person halfway down the cliff, on the north side of Elephant Rock, and shone spotlights on them.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 24, 2026 03:04 UTC