Men 'very lucky' to survive night at sea - Police

For two men from the Pacific Islands, spending a night soaking wet and floating in a small dingy with no oars or safety equipment off the coast of Hawke's Bay can't have been easy.

The pair from tropical Kiribati, and now living in the Hastings suburb of Flaxmere, were rescued after a chance encounter with a passing freighter 26km off the coast.

The men were spotted by the crew of the ship this afternoon, nearly 24 hours after they put to sea to check their set net at the Tukituki River at Haumoana, 10km north east of Hastings.

Both men were suffering from serious hypothermia.

The men's adventure began about 7.30pm yesterday when their 2.5m dingy capsized at the mouth of the Tukituki River and as they clung to the side of it they were pulled out of the river mouth into the Pacific Ocean.

They managed to get back into the boat, but had to repeat the process as the boat capsized again during the night.

The pair were left to huddle together, wet, throughout the cold and frosty night.

Their oars had been lost and they had no engine, emergency equipment or lifejackets, on board.

Police were alerted that the men, aged 21 and 38, were missing at about 12.30pm today and began a full-scale search that included search and rescue, two Coastguard boats, a spotter plane and the Port of Napier pilot vessel.

Various other private fishing and commercial boats also joined in.

About 4pm the orange fibreglass dinghy was spotted 26km off the coast by a passing freighter who alerted the coastguard.

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was first to arrive and hovered over the small boat until the coastguard arrived.

Rescue helicopter worker Brent Williams told NZPA when the men saw the helicopter they "waved their arms like crazy, then they got back into their huddle".

"They were very lucky they were found."

"They were looking pretty sorry for themselves," he said.

It would have been "chilly" as well, as this morning Hawke's Bay residents woke up to a nasty frost.

Mr Williams said they were well on their way to Mahia Peninsula, south of Gisborne.

"If they were lucky they might have hit there, but if they were unlucky they might have kept going back to Kiribati."

The Coastguard arrived at the dingy about 4.45pm.

Eastern Districts police spokeswoman Kris McGehan said if hadn't been for the freighter, the men may have never been found.

The searchers were nowhere near where the men were eventually found she said.

"They wouldn't have survived another night out there," she said.

"They were very lucky."

The men were tonight recovering in Hawke's Bay Hospital.