A commercial fishing vessel has rescued seven men whose boat was drifting off the coast of Raglan.
The trawler towed them into Raglan Harbour where Coastguard volunteers took them aboard a rescue boat.
A spokesperson for the Coastguard northern region, Georgie Smith, said the men got into trouble at about half past eight on Monday night.
"It was a 5.5 aluminium, so quite a small boat for the conditions. They were outside the Raglan harbour, which is quite notorious bar down, or it can be for the weather conditions. So, telling someone where you are going with a trip report, or in their case a bar crossing to our operation centre, is essential. "
Georgie Smith advised boaties to take two waterproof communication devices with them on sea trips in case they need to call for help.
She said coastguards in the northern area have been called to more than 400 incidents since Christmas Eve.
