Emergency services were notified of two kayakers trapped on the rocks about 11.30am.
Anne Murray was one of the kayakers in the group of three from the Bay of Plenty.
She managed to get back to shore safely, while her two friends were trapped on the rocks.
They had set out on a trip from Kaka Point to the Nuggets in the morning.
Ms Murray said one of her friends, Maureen Charles, appeared to have fallen out of her kayak into the sea and the leader of the group, Larraine Hughes, went back to help.
Constable Rochelle Gordon, of Balclutha, said after one of the women found herself in some difficulty, they were washed up on the rocks at the base of a cliff near the Nugget Point lighthouse.
Police were told the women had been scared by sea lions in the water.
Ms Murray said the two women tried to launch back out to sea twice but, because of the large swell, they were unsuccessful.
"I figured things weren’t going well. That’s when I headed back."
She returned to the shore to go for help.All three were experienced kayakers and well prepared for the trip around the coastline, Ms Murray said.
The trio had practised rescues before so knew what to do in emergency situations.
"They’re pretty resourceful."
At no point was she concerned for their lives, Ms Murray said.
She knew the low tide was at 2pm so they had time to get off the rocks.
Const Gordon said one of the worst things was not being able to identify where the trapped pair were when she first arrived at Nugget Point.
She said it was lucky the conditions were in their favour.
An inflatable rescue boat and jet ski were deployed from Kaka Point Surf Life Saving club and an Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter was sent from Dunedin.
The trapped pair were winched from the rocks and taken to safety about 1.30pm.
Kaka Point Surf Life Saving club chairman Andrew Budge said the women were not distressed when he attended to them at the scene. Mr Budge was the rescue life-saver who swam from the IRB to where the women were stuck.
He treated one of the women for a laceration to her leg.
It would have been possible for the women to walk to safety or swim to the IRB nearby, but as the helicopter had arrived it was agreed to use it. Mr Budge said he managed to scare some sea lions away from the scene, but they were disturbed by the helicopter and came close to the group again.
The sea lions were not much of an issue, he said.
Both kayakers were taken to Clutha Health First in Balclutha, where they were treated for minor injuries and mild hypothermia.
