Two people rescued from Lake Whakatipu

Two people have been rescued after they did not return from a kayaking trip in Queenstown on Thursday.

Police were notified the pair were missing near Lake Whakatipu around 11pm.

They were found on the shore in the early hours of Friday morning after Police Land Search and Rescue, Coastguard Queenstown, and two rescue helicopters were deployed to search for them.

It is one of four Search and Rescue incidents in the Southern District within the last week.

One person died on 8 October after a water-related incident in Milford Sound and reports of two people needing assistance while kayaking.