Coastguard volunteers were kept busy during Waitangi Day celebrations yesterday after responding to a record number of incidents in the Northern region.
Coastguard rescue vessels and aircraft were sent out to 50 incidents yesterday as thousands of boaties took to the water to enjoy the fine weather, the Coastguard said in a statement.
The Coastguard Operations Centre in Auckland received a record 2458 reports and requests for assistance from boaties in the region, reaching a high of 280 calls taken between 7-8am yesterday morning.
By 10am, the centre logged over 1000 trip reports.
Coastguard Northern Region Duty Officer Hemi Manaena said, "The vast majority of the incidents we attended to, almost 80 per cent, were mechanical in nature with simple break downs and fuel problems upsetting a nice day on the water for some".
"The Coastguard Operations Centre took as many radio calls from boaties in just this single day as we might do over three weeks in winter."
Most of the incidents occurred in the Hauraki Gulf.
It follows a busy Auckland Anniversary long weekend, beginning on January 26, which saw volunteers assist with 74 incidents across the region.
On both days, the majority of the incidents occurred in the Hauraki Gulf.
With the fine summer weather set to continue, the Coastguard would like to remind boaties to follow the Boating Safety Code.
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