It was a rescue party

Getting engaged might have seemed enough excitement for one day, but for Chris Brown a runaway boat made it a day to really remember.

The one-time Titirangi resident, now living in Sydney, had proposed to Aussie girlfriend Deanna Battagglia and been accepted while visiting Kawau Island earlier in the day. He was celebrating his impending nuptials at a family friend's home at Snells Beach.

Looking out over the bay he had been watching as a man raced around in a "tinny" jumping his own boat's wake.

When the man was flung out and his boat continued to circle it became apparent that he hadn't been wearing a kill strap which would have cut the motor when he fell overboard.

While initially finding the incident rather funny, Mr Brown and stepfather Ken Tyson became concerned when no one went to the man's aid. There was the potential for him to be hit by the boat. The boat was also heading on its roundabout course toward rocks.

The two launched their boat to go to the man's aid.

"By the time we got to him he'd been in the water for about 10 minutes and was getting a bit panicky," says Mr Brown.

Another man in an inflatable boat had also come out to help, putting his boat between the runaway boat and the rocks.

The aluminium craft rode up onto the inflatable, narrowly missing the operator, but bringing the boat to a halt.

Mr Brown was then able to reach the motor's kill switch.

By the time they got back to the shore, police were there, the Coastguard had been called and the fire brigade also, says Mr Brown.

- © Fairfax NZ News