Karekare Surf Life Saving Club

07/04/2026

Congrats to Evija on passing her swim test last night at Westwave. Thanks to the support team from Karekare to cheer her on and also to Steve her instructor and Mary for examining on the night. See you all on Sunday for the beach exam (fingers crossed the cyclone doesn't interfere with this!!)

07/04/2026

That is officially a wrap of the 25-26 season at the Trusts Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club, the sun has set on our last patrol yesterday!

Special thanks to all our lifeguards and Patrol supports, PC's and their vices, office holders and committee for making it a great season. We have trained 15 new lifeguards, had 2 huge groups complete their crewpersons, still have a rock training module to come and two new instructors. We have also been training up new IRB drivers.
It has been a season of mixed blessings with a very successful rescue in January, but sadly also a loss for a family that we hold heavy in our hearts.
We finished up with our Easter patrols, thanks Patrol 1 and 5 who had fantastic BBQ dinners and a mexican theme on Friday night too.
Also our rookie camp was held over the weekend to brush up our candidates who are sitting their exam this Sunday. Thanks to Oscar, Kaia and Finn for organising this and also to camp leaders Mark, Chrissie and Julia for assisting.
So that is a wrap, see you back between the flags on Saturday 24 October 2026! In the meantime stay safe!

31/03/2026

Great result for our rookie swimmers from Karekare and one from United Piha completing their pool exam last night. Special thanks to our instructors Steve and Mary from United. Also to the examiners from Surf Life Saving Northern Region. Next stop beach exam on the 12th!

23/03/2026

It was a proud moment on Thursday when Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club had our new IRB hull and engine blessed by the St Lazarus Board who sponsored the duo. The boat is fittingly named afer one of the club's greats Stu Hammond. The Hammond family still has two generations of lifeguards patrolling Karekare every summer. Special thanks to Neil for bringing in the vehicle and IRB, Andy and Bob for being part of the special day. Special thanks to St Lazarus Trust for championing of our club over the past decade and for hosting the lunch.

16/03/2026

A busy weekend at Karekare with a team away at Pasifika event guarding. Thanks to Neil for coordinating the team and for the guards who participated. We also had a team away at Muriwai completing their crewpersons. Thanks to David for being the instructor and arranging to get the team there and back. Congrats to Freida, Grace, Orlo and Lucca for completing their crewpersons. On top of that we had patrol 2 on the beach in quite unpleasant conditions for their last one of the season. But they were blessed with a sighting of 3 maui dolphins which made it all worthwhile.

11/03/2026

Big weekend at Karekare with our annual seniors club day. Great to see some rookies and young lifeguards having a crack at the round the island swim. Congratulations to all our winners on the day. We concluded the night with burgers and drinks.

01/03/2026

A hard day today at karekare for our team of lifeguards on duty and the local karekare/piha SARS team who searched all day for a fisherman who fell off the rocks this morning. Well done to our lifeguards who responded quickly whilst also trying to strip patrol for the day. Sadly at this time the fisherman has not been found. Our thoughts and aroha are with his whanau.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/588312/search-on-for-fisherman-swept-away-near-piha?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQQtYdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeU9Gws3HODm0GbpOkSxMilweuxz93L2hyfn-EnBG6xvE05hgAbcPTjiay6nw_aem_4r1G04yPf3ppa2v56QzTRA

Searchers have been scouring the water for a man swept off rocks on Auckland's west coast.

24/02/2026

Congratulations to Patrol 2 who have this week been awarded Rescue of the Month for January for the Northern Region area.

Here is the blurb published by Surf Surf Life Saving New Zealand:
Northern Surf Life Saving Northern Region – Karekare SLSC

Lifeguards: Fraser Harvey, Shay Scott, David Munro, Chrissie Sidwell, David Sidwell, Kaia Newton, Hayley Duncan, Freida Peart, Chris Chambers, Shani Charan, Tara Kelly-Hulse, Oscar Chaafe, Ben Wanden-Hannay, Eti Eves

On 10 January 2026, Patrol 2 were alerted to three people stranded on a rock ledge inside The Cauldron, Karekare Beach. The location is hazardous, with incoming tides and confined surf. Acting Patrol Captain Fraser Harvey and Vice Patrol Captain Shay Scott coordinated land, RWC, and IRB reconnaissance. David Munro managed beach safety and communications.

One patient had a serious leg fracture, while the other two required assistance to reach the RWC. Lifeguards used the RWC to recover patients safely, while the injured man was winched to Auckland City Hospital by Westpac Rescue Helicopter. The team maintained constant communication with SurfCom and other agencies while controlling public safety.

This rescue showcased expert craft handling, advanced rock and surf rescue skills, and calm, coordinated decision-making. The patrol’s quick and professional response ensured all three patients were removed safely before conditions deteriorated.

A great result for all the team involved!

09/02/2026

Exciting to start our second group of rookies for the season yesterday. They are sporting our new vests with our sponsor the Trusts on the back. Remember, if you’re interested in training as a lifeguard or a patrol support (non water support).

11/01/2026

Well
Done to patrol 2 who were on duty yesterday and responded to three people stuck on the rocks trying to traverse from Mercer Bay to karekare.
The team responded with the RWC and IRB and extracted two people off the rocks at the entrance to the cauldron.
The third person was airlifted by rescue helicopter with a broken leg and transported to hospital.
It was great team work in some challenging sea conditions but a great outcome for those involved.

21/12/2025

https://mailchi.mp/adc9517d4d3d/karekare-surf-club-cauldron-newsletterMerry Xmas to all, here is a little bit of holiday reading with some news from Karekare Surf Lifesaving club. Stay safe and enjoy some down time for those having a break. See you at the beach, remember we are now open 7 days a week until 08 February 2026.

21/12/2025

Congratulations to our newest lifeguard at Karekare Hazel who has a foot in two camps as her Mum patrols for Karekare and her Dad for Bethells. So no doubt we will see Hazel between the flags at both beaches. Well done Hazel from all the team at Karekare and thanks to NR for their support.