A teenage lifeguard has rescued six American tourists caught in a rip off Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula.
Beau Hamilton, who is 17, says he was in his lounge on Tuesday when he saw a girl on a boogie board in trouble.
Beau Hamilton says five of the tourists, who are from New York, swam out to help the girl but then got into difficulties themselves.
He told Checkpoint all of the tourists were exhausted but he eventually got them safely to shore.
