Six people drowned during the holiday period.
And while not all died on our beaches, some did despite all the years of safety messages and all the dedicated work of hundreds of volunteer lifeguards.
While the official Christmas and New Year holiday season is over, their work is not.
Today in our lifesavers series we're go to the popular beach area of Mt Maunganui, with surf lifeguards Kent Jarman, and Adriana Bird.
Photo: Dscribe Media Services
