The navy has sailed to the rescue of a dog washed out to sea during the severe weather which hit Auckland this week.
The dog rescued by the navy. Photo: Royal New Zealand Navy
New Zealand Defence Force Commanding Officer Lieutenant Anthony Norris said the naval inshore patrol vessel HMNZS Hawea spotted the dog on a log in Smokehouse Bay, off Great Barrier Island, as the boat came into anchor during a customs operation.
The crew of one of the Hawea's two inflatable boats fished the dog out of the water, he said.
"The guys picked it up, wrapped it up in a blanket - it was pretty cold at the time - and took it back into shore, where someone managed to identify it and knew who its owners were.
"So it got back home safely."
Lieutenant Norris said he did not know how long the dog had been afloat but that it was definitely happy to see its rescuers.
