Emergency services were called on Sunday to Omanawa Falls after a report someone had climbed a cliff and fallen. Photo / George Novak
Emergency services were called on Sunday to Omanawa Falls after a report someone had climbed a cliff and fallen. Photo / George Novak
Kaitiaki were at Omanawa Falls on the day a man died in the park, but left before the incident because no visitors were expected in the poor weather conditions.
And the Tauranga City Council says there is no expectation for the guardians to be present all day, every day as part of the new trial aimed at persuading visitors not to try accessing the dangerous site.
Emergency services were called about 2.30pm on Sunday to the Western Bay of Plenty waterfall after a report someone had climbed a cliff and not returned to their group.
About 4pm, the body of a man was found.
Police led the operation and have referred the case to the coroner. They have not provided any further information about the circumstances of the incident.
Emergency services were called on Sunday to Omanawa Falls after a report someone had climbed a cliff and fallen. Photo / George Novak
In recent years and in spite of closed gates and warning signs, several people have been injured at the falls and a student drowned in the pool at the bottom in 2018.
A trial kaitiaki programme run by the council and a local hapū started last month as another layer of warning.
The council's general manager of community services, Gareth Wallis, said kaitiaki had left the Omanawa Falls site on Sunday afternoon due to heavy rain and thunderstorms.
He said the crew on the ground made the call to leave as they were not expecting visitors.
The council has a contractual arrangement with local hapū Ngāti Hangarau to provide kaitiaki at the site over the summer period. This involved acting as cultural ambassadors and meeting people at the gate before they enter.
He said this allowed kaitiaki to explain the cultural significance of the site and let would-be visitors know it was closed and unsafe.
The purpose was to educate and persuade people not to attempt to access the falls.
The trial period for the kaitiaki started in late December. A full crew was expected to be present at the falls most days of the summer.
"Despite the kaitiaki programme deterring hundreds of people so far, there are still people determined to access the falls," Wallis said.
He said the council and kaitiaki would continue with this approach.
The council was committed, along with Ngāti Hangarau and Tourism Bay of Plenty, to providing safe access to this site. Plans are being made to build a new access to the falls.
Emergency services were called on Sunday to Omanawa Falls after a report someone had climbed a cliff and fallen. Photo / George Novak
"Until such time as this has been achieved, the site remains closed to all members of the public."
Omanawa Falls lies within the rohe of Ngāti Hangarau and representatives were also at the site yesterday.
Ngāti Hangarau kaitiaki Ihaka Smith said members of the iwi had been down there to provide support, say karakia and restore the spiritual balance of the falls.
A rāhui was also put in place until further notice.
"We were sending the spirit of the man back to his people."
This was not the first death the iwi had experienced at the site and he said it did "take a toll" spiritually on many involved.
Tauranga acting mayor Tina Sailsbury said it was an "immensely sad time" for the man's family and friends, as well as the local community.
She said no matter what people had seen online or heard, Omanawa Falls was closed to the public because it was "extremely dangerous".
The falls had been closed to the public for some time for safety reasons and track closure was clearly signposted, said council manager of parks and recreation Mark Smith.
The Omanawa Falls track has been closed to the public for some time. Photo / File
Tourism Bay of Plenty has been working to update, remove or edit online listings about the falls and were working to educate accommodation providers of the cultural and environmental reasons not to visit the site.
Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter pilot Liam Brettkelly said the rescue helicopter was called to Omanawa Falls about 3.30pm on Sunday.
"We were initially tasked to look for someone who had fallen and to winch them out," he said.
Brettkelly said the rescue helicopter landed at the scene but was no longer needed after ground crews found the man and determined he was dead.
