Photo: Supplied
A father, his two kids, and a friend were flung into treacherous waters when their boat capsized on a notorious west coast sandbar last month.
Maritime safety experts say it shows that even when boaties do everything right, things can still go wrong.
Reporter Mary Argue speaks to the skipper, credited with saving multiple lives that day.
Sunrise is still hours away when Darren Teague wakes his kids.
The 12 -and 14-year-old are bundled into the car, along with one of his mates, and they hit the road heading west from Waikato, his late-model fishing boat in tow.
They roll into Raglan and as daylight breaks on 1 November, launch the game fisher with Teague at the helm.
In a little over four hours' time, all four will be in the water - their boat upside down in the surge and wash of the infamous Raglan Bar.
"I remember looking at just two waves standing up in front of me," Teague says.
"[It was] like trying to put your seatbelt on halfway through a car crash. I couldn't have done anything at the time.
"I can't emphasise how fast it happened. It was seconds."
Weeks later, he can clearly recall the panic on his kids' faces.
A deadly and dangerous feature
According to Maritime NZ, bars are the most dangerous feature on New Zealand's coast - costing five people their lives in 2024, and necessitating the rescue of more than twice as many.
The build up of sand at the entrance to a harbour, or river, can dramatically reduce t
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