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Beachgoing season has officially kicked off as fine weather drew thousands to the sand and surf and lifeguards had their first beach patrol of the season.
Beachgoers could not have asked for a finer start to Labour Weekend as the sun tempted many into a pre-summer dip.
Around 2000 surf lifesavers also hit the dunes, starting beach patrols in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty.
More will roll out in the next two to three weeks as the weather warms up further south and this year they will be focusing on rip education after an unusually high number of people got caught in them last summer. Sixteen people died as a result.
"We're doing preventative actions every day, going up and down the beach, just trying to get them in between the flags because as lifeguards we're not going to put the flags in the middle of a massive rip," says senior lifeguard David Butt.
And this summer the Westpac helicopter is on hand to help - on beach patrol for the first time in 20 years.
Spotting a rip from the beach isn't easy and it takes a trained eye to notice the patch of clear, unbroken water. But with a bird's eye view 500 feet above, the chopper crew spot them easily and can then alerting lifesavers.
But the extra eyes do not mean beachgoers can let personal safety slip.
"Its still the same things, swimming in between the flags, listening to lifeguards, making sure they swim with other people, not going out alone," says Butt.
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