WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - A French warship Wednesday rescued a family of eight from their stricken yacht in the Pacific north of New Zealand, rescue officials said.

The French warship La Glorieuse picked up the family after their boat was dismasted and the rigging became tangled around the keel and rudder, Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said.

RCCNZ search and rescue officer Christine Wilson said La Glorieuse was on its way to New Zealand when it diverted course late Tuesday after the rescue centre picked up a distress signal.

It then found the yacht with the family of two adults and six children 203 nautical miles (375 kilometres) north of the northern tip of New Zealand.

No one on the yacht, which was sailing from Tonga to New Zealand where the family live, was injured, Wilson said.