People who are thinking about jumping into water to rescue others are being told not to do so if they don't have a flotation device.

The warning comes after a 54-year-old man drowned at a Far North beach on Tuesday.

He was trying to save his children after they were sucked out to sea.

Wairongoa Clarence Renata, 54, was an army veteran who had saved a fellow soldier from losing an arm — if not his life — while serving in East Timor.

Renata died on Tuesday after going into the water to save five children caught in a rip. Beachgoers managed to get him to shore but he could not be resuscitated.

His 11-year-old daughter was unconscious when pulled from the water by rescuers, including a man on a paddleboard and a local policeman, and flown to Whangarei Hospital in a serious condition. She was discharged around noon yesterday.

Four other children were treated at the scene by St John medics.

Drowning Prevention Auckland's CEO Davin Bray said most would still be alive if they had something to hold onto..

"Going in to rescue a family member that's in danger is a natural reaction but it's so dangerous to do it without some form of floatation yourself, some means to support yourself so you can get back to land safely."

Bray said you can improvise with objects, if a life-ring isn't available.

"It could be anything. It could be a chilly bin, an empty coke bottle, a bucket that you turn upside down, anything that can hold air that can give you a little bit of floatation is better than nothing."

Kaeo-born Renata had moved to Palmerston North when he was in the army. More recently he worked in construction with Higgins, a contracting firm, but his wife is still employed by the Defence Force.

Nicknamed ''Magoo'', he remained a staunch Kaeo man and kept up his links to the community, particularly through whanau and rugby.

He was also involved in kaupapa waka, paddling the great waka Ngatokimatawhaorua on Waitangi Day.

A family spokesman said the whanau was gathering to support one another and to be there for Renata's partner and their children.

He acknowledged the words of kindness and support offered in online tributes by members of the public and those who had shared time with Renata in the army and as a contractor in Palmerston North.

A former Whangarei man who served alongside him in East Timor said he was ''a real character'' and credited Renata with saving him from serious injury, if not worse, after the armoured personnel carrier (APC) they were in crashed.

''He at least saved my arm when the APC we were in got hit by non-military vehicle,'' the former soldier, who did not want to be named, said.

''He pulled me out of the way just before it hit. It was coming from my blind spot so I couldn't see it. My arm had been resting on the tray where it hit.''

He said Renata later did contracting work in Iraq where everyone spoke highly of him.

''He was a real character. He used to wear his smock in Timor, fully buttoned up, and on 'cold days' he'd wear a thermal top under it ... We're talking about 36-40C, and 95 per-cent-plus humidity as a 'cold day' there.''

Renata was due to lie briefly at Mangaiti Marae in Kaeo yesterday before heading to Te Tahaawai Marae in nearby Pupuke. He would remain there until his burial, expected to take place at 11am on Monday.