Two women were swept down the Waikato river on Thursday afternoon after floodgates on the Aratiatia dam were opened up.
The police say the women, aged 19 and 20, both from Taupo, had a lucky escape when they were pulled from the water by kayakers.
During the summer, the control gates at the dam are opened four times a day to allow tourists to see the Aratiatia rapids as they were before the Waikato hydro scheme was developed.
The women and a man were wading through rockpools downstream from the dam at about 4pm.
The police say the women were swept away before being rescued by kayakers. The man was able to stay on a rock.
