DEVASTATED friends of a student who drowned at a tourist hotspot have described the terrifying moment they were swept away by rapids.

Rachael De Jong, 21, had been swimming at Waikato River in New Zealand last year when dam gates at a nearby power station opened.

The physiotherapy student at Auckland University of Technology had been taking pictures with pals when tragedy struck.

The group had clambered on to a rock in the middle of the rapids as the water rose around them but they became stuck when the current continued to flow.

A harrowing photo shows the girls on the rock moments before Rachael was swept to her death.

One friend, Gemma, told police: "We thought we were going to be OK on the rock. But that's when the water started coming up hard and fast."

Two boys who were with Rachael and her friends had managed to climb up a higher rock to safety but the girls - including fellow student Maddie and sisters Alice and Michaela - were stranded.

One of the boys, Rhys, attempted to reach Michaela but she slipped out of his grasp and both were swept down the river.

He said: "It felt like a washing machine, I had no control and I was running out of breath and I thought that was it, to be honest."

Alice and Rachael were also swept away by the water after brave Rachael saved her friend's life.

In a horrifying video that Rachael's dad Kevin has chosen not to make public, the friends can be seen desperately trying to fight for their lives.

The girls can be seen diving across the rapids one-by-one with Rachael grabbing hold of her.

But she slips, turns to grab the rock then disappears from view.

Kevin told the New Zealand Herald: “They were having fun. And they just didn’t realise the danger until it was too late.”

The Aratiatia Rapids are flooded by water from the Aratiatia Dam four times a day in summer and three times a day in winter for 15 minutes.

There are now signs in place warning about the power station but Kevin believes more can be done to stop another tragedy.

He said: "When you look at those photos, the video, it’s obvious they thought they were safe. They were completely oblivious to the danger they were in, until it was too late.

"They weren’t silly people. If smart, intelligent people can get caught out like this, there’s a high chance it will happen again. And that’s what we want to stop.”