A Tongan man rescued after three days without food and water has described the moment he was saved by the New Zealand Defence Force when he was found adrift in a life raft after an engine failure.
Father of two Tupou Veamatahau, 27, told the NZ Herald he saw an aircraft approaching his life raft and thought, "Oh, good. Thank you."
"No eat, no drink for three days. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday - nothing,'' he said.
Mr Veamatahau phoned a contact in Tonga on Saturday evening at 6pm Tonga local time to say the engine had broken down on his small five-metre fibreglass boat, as he was returning to Ohonua Harbour on Tonga's Eua Island.
Local authorities asked the Rescue Co-ordination Centre NZ and the New Zealand Defence Force for help after being unable to locate him, and he was spotted from an RNZAF Orion in his life raft.
He was found at about 2pm yesterday in the middle of a 4000 square kilometre search area waving his oars, said RCCNZ mission co-ordinator Conrad Reynecke.
Mr Veamatahau said he thought of his family through the ordeal while the hot sun beat down on him, and thanked his rescuers.
"Thank you for all your help. Everybody who helped me. Thank you, thank you."
Photo Twitter: NZ Defence Force