The Coastguard is urging people taking to the water to have two forms of communication with them after a kayaking incident in the Coromandel sparked an emergency callout.

Duty officer Nico Doodemon says a father and two children went kayaking at Papa Aroha about 7am today.

The alarm was raised when they did not return by lunchtime or make contact.

Coastguard air support was about to take off and search for them when the trio returned to shore about 2pm.

Doodemon says the incident reinforced the importance of having a VHS radio in areas where there was poor cellphone reception.

-RNZ.