Abseiling thrills instead of fatal spills

Tourists will soon be paying for thrills at a Whangarei spot where several people have fallen to their deaths.

From Easter, abseiling company Peak Adventures will offer those game enough and willing to pay $50 a chance to descend the 35m drop from the top of cliffs at Whangarei Falls.

The spectacular waterfall is one of the district's top tourist attractions.

But it is also where several people have died - the last a 15-year- old Kawakawa girl who died on Christmas Eve last year.

But Peak Adventures director Ian Fox likened abseiling at Whangarei Falls to driving on a road where there had been a fatal car accident.

He said the operation would be safe, and it was his "gut feeling" that there would be enough demand to make the business a success.

"Whangarei doesn't have enough adventure tourism operating yet."

Mr Fox said recreational abseilers were already able to freely attach ropes to small anchors set in rocks at the top of the falls - and descend through the waterfall.

Peak Adventures' steel anchor - set in 10 tonnes of concrete at the top of the steep rock cliffs across the stream from Whangarei Falls carpark - allowed abseilers to descend over dry rock.

Customers would make up to three descents, expected to take two or three minutes a time.

He expected the site to be open at weekends and school holidays in the summer.

"The first year will be a bit of a trial to see how it goes."

Once at the bottom, customers would make their way back over rocks and past a plaque laid in memory of Nik Morgan who died after accidentally plunging off the falls on Christmas Eve, 2002.

Nik's mother, Jo Morgan said she was surprised the company's resource consent application was not publicly notified.

The Whangarei District Council's approval for the venture states the application was not notified because any "adverse effect" on the environment would be "minor", and written approval had been given by all necessary parties.

Ms Morgan said she probably would not be opposed to the operation - provided it was professionally run, did not detract from the "beauty of the place" and was safe.

- NZPA