A summer outing to Outram Glen took a dramatic turn for a Dunedin family yesterday afternoon when an 8-year-old boy had to be rescued from a swollen and swirling Taieri River.
The boy and his mother, who sought help after her son was swept about 15m downstream, spent 90 minutes huddled on a log jutting out from the riverbank before being rescued by jetboat.
Katherine, who declined to give her surname, said her son had initially just gone for a paddle in the river.
"He said, ‘I’ll try and swim across’, and I said, ‘Oh no you won’t. He took two steps out and was just taken across.
"I took off and thought I could swim to him, but it was so strong. Thankfully, he was caught on a rock. If that hadn’t happened, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation."
She said her son was a confident swimmer in a pool, but this was a different situation.
"Just a week ago, he walked across to the swing here, so in his mind it was still fine. But it was so quick."
They hoped to climb up the riverbank, but it was too steep and rough, so they elected to hunker down and wait for help.
While her son was a little chilly, he was otherwise fine.
"He’s apologised a lot. A huge amount. It’s been a big shock for him."
Senior Station Officer Chris Nelson said two fire engines, ambulances and police attended.
It was initially hoped rescuers could wade over from the Outram side of the river, but it was deemed too risky, so police contacted a local with a jetboat, which was used to safely reunite the family about 5.20pm.
