Rule number one of kayaking – never let go of your boat or paddle.
That is sometimes easier to say than to do – depending on your situation.
But the second rule is really quite important. If you lose your kayak, or any boat for that matter, tell the police as soon as possible.

Not only does this help in potentially getting it back, but it can save the police and search organisations a lot of hard work and anguish in the event of a search being instigated.

Often a search organisation swings into action only to discover hours or days later that there's not an emergency; that the boat has been abandoned and the occupants are safe and well in front of the fire with a steaming Milo.

This week was case in point. A yellow two seater kayak turned up in the waters off Motiti Island. Initially it sparked some interest, since there's been no sign of John Jeffery or his orange kayak since he was last seen around Ohiwa harbour weeks ago.
Quickly this connection was dispelled when the kayak description did not match. But it left authorities with the dilemma; was anyone aboard the kayak when it was lost?

So the message here: Do the coastguard, police, harbourmaster and search and rescue a favour. If you do lose a boat, give them a call to avoid an unnecessary search. Let them save their energy and resources for when it's really needed.