Coastguard Lake Taupo

22/12/2025

Stay safe on Lake Taupō! Whether you're a local or visiting, please keep these essential safety rules in mind to protect yourself and your passengers.

⚓ Essential Boating Safety for Lake Taupō

⚓ Maintain a Proper Lookout: You must keep a constant, 360-degree lookout at all times to avoid collisions. Lake Taupō can get busy; stay alert for other vessels, swimmers, and hazards. Remember, it is your responsibility to take early and obvious action to stay clear of others.

⚓ Lifejackets Save Lives: On Lake Taupō, lifejackets must be worn at all times on all vessels 6 metres or less while moving. Ensure yours is properly fitted and securely fastened—you never know when you may end up in the water unexpectedly.

⚓ Vessel Checks & Comms: Perform a thorough check before every outing to ensure your boat is fit for the water. Always carry at least two forms of reliable waterproof communication (like a VHF radio or a phone in a waterproof bag) to call for help.

⚓ Prevent Boat Fires: We have seen several boat fires in recent years. To stay safe:
Faulty Wiring: Ensure solar panels are professionally installed; poor wiring is a leading cause of fires.
Explosive Gases: Fuel vapours can accumulate in engine bays. Always check for leaks and ensure the bay is well-ventilated before starting the engine.

⚓ Minimum Age for Skippers: You must be at least 15 years old to operate a power-driven vessel capable of exceeding 10 knots unless under the direct supervision of an adult who can reach the controls.

⚓ For the full list of regulations, visit the Department of Internal Affairs Lake Taupō Rules https://www.dia.govt.nz/Lake-Taupo-Rules-for-Operating-Vessels

Stay safe out there and lets all have a festive season that's remembered for the right reasons.

12/12/2025

30/09/2025

Lake Taupō Coastguard's Jeff Benson has enhanced safety both on the Waikato River and Lake Taupō.

31/08/2025

And this weekend, we joined with our Search and Rescue partners Bay of Plenty & Taupo PoliceSAR team, Land Search & Rescue New Zealand and Turangi Coastguard for a SAREX that began with a serious vessel incident in Kawakawa Bay, with an overturned vessel, persons in the water at 1630hrs Friday with Marine searches commencing into Friday night, with debris and shoreline evidence discovered, so that LandSAR was also tasked to search for survivors in the nearby bush and further inland, with the exercise finally finishing early Sunday morning.
All to test our responses, our planning decisions, the strength of collaboration between each search partner, always looking for ways to improve, but importantly growing each participant's and crew members' search skills.
We loved meeting Echo (guess who that is) and the twenty-plus SAR team members who came on our vessel as part of the exercise. We look forward to seeing you next year.

31/08/2025

August has been a busy month for us training. We train regularly on our own to stay sharp with Search and Rescue exercises.

But this month there was an extra 15hrs on the Lake training with the greater Philips Search & Rescue Trust Helicopters team - our local Greenlea team, Aerocool Rescue Helicopter teams, and others both as a safety vessel, and practicing wet winch techniques. Have a look ...

11/08/2025

And its that time of year where we will soon be holding our AGM at our local HQ... see the details below.