'Close call' river rescue

Police are urging people to be careful in the outdoors after three swimmers were rescued from the Kawarau River in Queenstown this afternoon.

Emergency services were called to Rafters Road in Gibbston about 3.15pm, after three teenaged males attempted to go swimming.

The trio entered the river upstream of Rafters Road in Gibbston and immediately got into difficulty.

One managed to get himself safely onto rocks, however the other two were swept a short distance down the river.

One of the two still in the water was able to get to a bank on the opposite, inaccessible side of the river, while the second was pulled out by a witness who jumped down a bank to render assistance.

Due to the treacherous nature of the river, a rescue helicopter was dispatched and within half an hour was hovering by each of the three swimmers and rescuer so they could climb aboard to safety.

"This was an incredibly close call for the young men, and it was so lucky someone saw what was happening and heard the screams for help," Area Prevention Manager Senior Sergeant John Fookes says.

"A very short distance downstream the river hits the Nevis Rapids, which become grade 5 and are incredibly unforgiving.

"Had they been swept any further downstream, we would have been dealing with an entirely different scenario."

A helicopter rescue was made in the same spot in 2021 after a woman was swept away while swimming with friends. She was winched from the rocks.

Last January, two people drowned in Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy, at the mouth of the Rees River, a week apart, after being caught in an undertow.

"We urge anyone swimming in rivers, or exploring outdoors to do your research first, and treat the environment you’re entering with respect," Fookes says.

"Police want to thank all those involved in the rescue, and the people who were so quick to raise the alarm."