Swimmers as young as 10 up to those in their 50s have been among those rescued from northern New Zealand beaches, as temperatures soared over the weekend. 

A total of 18 people were rescued by lifeguards yesterday at Northern region beaches, according to Surf Life Saving, with 16 more assisted. 

This included an unwell swimmer transported from Sunset Beach to Hospital via helicopter after swallowing a lot of seawater. 

Two girls aged 10 and 12 were also rescued from a strong current north of the flags at Sunset Beach. 

In Muriwai, a 51-year-old boogie boarder was taken offshore by a rip and rescued. A 29-year-old male was also rescued after getting stuck in a hole. 

Four people in Karekare were retrieved from a rip, one of whom was taken to hospital in an ambulance. A 50-year-old male was later rescued after patrol hours. 

Kariaotahi beach is in the southwest of the Auckland region. Photo / Google 

Three people aged between 11 and 17 were also rescued in Kariaotahi – they were spotted getting into difficulty as lifeguards were packing up the flags. 

A missing 14-year-old male was also located at Takapuna, and lifeguards at Omaha assisted a man with a stuck torpedo kon-tiki. 

The rescues also came on the same day that two men drowned in the notoriously dangerous Manawatū River, making a total of four that had died in the Ahimate Reserve in the past week. 

The body of an 11-year-old girl was found in same area of the river on December 31, and the 27-year-old woman she had been swimming with was also found late last night, after four days missing. 

Palmerston North City Council and police have since urged people not to swim at the Ahimate Reserve.