A father has died and two of his children are in hospital after swallowing water as the trio waded to shore after they had been fishing.

They had been caught in the incoming tide off Awhitu Regional Park in southwest Auckland.

The park is on the Manukau Harbour side of the Awhitu Peninsula.

Awhitu Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Andrew Hamilton told the Herald that the father and his daughter and son, were returning from a small island, Kauritutahi, in the harbour about 200m from the beach at the regional park.

"Special mention must be made of the campers there," he said.

"They were alerted to it before we got there and went out and helped the family in to shore."

Police was called to the scene at 12.40pm following reports three people 
were in trouble in the water.

The father died at the scene. The children had swallowed some water and were flown by the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Middlemore Hospital in a moderate condition.

Hamilton understood the father and children were camping at the regional park with other family members.

"I think they were fishing on the island … They got caught in the tide when they were making their way back to shore by foot."

The island is about 200m from the shore.

"They are big tides at the moment with a lot of current when the tide is coming in and going out.

A spokesman for the rescue helicopter said: "When the crew got there, CPR was in progress on an adult male patient. He, unfortunately, died at the scene.

"Crew of Westpac 2 assisted two children who had been rescued prior to the rescue helicopter arriving at the scene."

The spokesman said intensive care paramedic Russell "Rusty" Clark attended the incident. He had also attended a rescue in West Auckland's Waitakere Ranges yesterday, in which two teenagers died.