Friends watched in horror as a man drowned at the foot of a waterfall yesterday afternoon.

The death was one of four drownings and several near misses in the water this Easter Weekend, and came as hopes were rising of a historic zero road toll for the holiday period.

Ram Prasad Bade, 28, also known as Ram Prasad, was swimming at Owharoa Falls in the Karangahake Gorge, near Waihi, when he was sucked under the murky water and pinned.

After a 111 call Constable Brian Connors, of Thames police, was first on the scene.

More than 20 people were at the popular swimming hole and a member of the public was trying to rescue the man, Mr Connors said.

"He was not a strong swimmer.

"He went out, tried and could feel himself getting sucked under so he backed off."

Two others were "stuck" on rocks underneath the waterfall as the dramatic rescue attempt unfolded.

Mr Connors got a rope from a passing motorist and tied it around the rescuer who dived in to search for the missing man.

"It's a bit like Braille under there from what I understand," Mr Connors said. "The water's not that clear.

"He gave me a couple of tugs on the rope and we pulled him out with the deceased person."

St John Ambulance paramedics arrived as the stricken swimmer was pulled from the water. They started CPR, working on him for more than 30 minutes, before he was pronounced dead.

Mr Connors believed the man was with a group of about eight, including flatmates and his partner.

Earlier yesterday a man drowned in the Waitemata Harbour, near Birkenhead, after a midnight fishing trip with a friend went wrong.

Police shift commander Willie Taylor said several harbour-goers contacted police after hearing a male voice calling out for help.

"At 1.12am a yacht could hear someone calling out in the water near the Chelsea Sugar works," Mr Taylor said.

"We sent out the police launch, then later the helicopter, to concentrate around that area."

Just after 2am police spotted a body in the water.

The man had been fishing with a friend and "decided to go for a swim in his underwear and T-shirt".

The man was a 20 to 25-year-old Polynesian. Mr Taylor said it is possible that alcohol was a factor.

The death was the second drowning near the Chelsea Sugar works at the weekend. A 55-year-old man died on the grounds on Saturday after entering a lake to rescue a dog being attacked by swans.

The man was pulled from the water by two bystanders but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.

Also on Saturday a Westport man drowned after tripping on rocks and falling into the sea while fishing at Charleston, about 20km south of Westport.

David Edward Pascoe, 56, a tanker driver, had lived in Westport for almost seven years. His partner, Margaret Sanders, said Mr Pascoe "loved his bowls and loved life".

"He was a very fun-loving man who adored his children and grandchildren and family."

His job meant he did not have much time for his new hobby of fishing.

West Coast Search and Rescue sergeant Sean Judd said there had been some "some good waves coming in and hitting the rocks" on Saturday.

"It's a popular fishing spot ... but it's not a place you'd want to be in the water, for sure."

On Friday night, a man found clinging to a ladder beneath Wellington's Queens Wharf was just minutes from death, police said.

The Johnsonville man, in his mid-40s, had no strength and was believed to be intoxicated. A member of the public alerted emergency services after hearing calls for help.

Senior Constable Stuart Main, of Wellington maritime police, said crew on a police launch found the man clinging to a ladder, which he could not climb. He was "only a minute or two from going under", Mr Main said.

The man appeared to have hypothermia. He was treated and discharged from Wellington Hospital.

Yesterday a seven-year-old boy was flown to Starship children's hospital after a near drowning at Hahei.

No further details were available.