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Abigail Dougherty/Stuff
At about 9pm Motu Helicopters located the boy clinging on to the side of the rocks at Opape Beach (file photo).
Police have rescued a 14-year-old boy off the rocks at a Bay of Plenty beach, in what one officer called a “Christmas miracle”.
At about 8pm on Christmas Eve, police received reports of a boy failing to return from collecting shellfish at Opape Beach near Ōpōtiki.
The boy had last been seen at 3pm.
The tide was coming in and family were concerned that daylight was running out and that he may have been swept from the rocks.
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The Coast Guard was contacted and a vessel deployed from Ōpōtiki for a shoreline search.
Police Search and Rescue were called out from Bay of Plenty and a ground search was co-ordinated.
At about 9pm Motu Helicopters located the boy clinging on to the side of the rocks at Opape Beach.
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The pilot manoeuvred the helicopter close to the steep rock face and Constable Reuben Hennessy, of Bay of Plenty Police Search and Rescue, got onto the rocks and guided the boy down from the rock face into the helicopter.
He was returned, uninjured, to friends and family at Opape.
“It’s a Christmas miracle that we found the young boy,” Constable Hennessy said.
“It could have been a tragedy. His family are very relieved he’s okay and back safely and so are we,” he said.
“I would like to take the chance to remind people when out fishing so close to rocks or engaging in water sports that they come prepared.”
It was recommended that people take and wear life-jackets, he said, and check the weather and tide conditions before going out.
“It’s also important to take a mobile phone but keep it waterproof, such as in a plastic zip-locked bag.”
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