Adventure addicts warned on safety

Rotorua's Sam Roil heads over the 20m waterfall on the Wainui River. Photo / Mike Dawson

Extreme kayakers are being warned someone will die if they don't pay more attention to safety.

The warning comes after a Rotorua paddler injured his back in the Wainui River, near Apata in the Bay of Plenty, during flooding this week that turned the normally placid waterway into an adventurer's paradise.

Costa Rican Douglas McCormick spent a night in Tauranga Hospital after compressing his spine over a 10m waterfall. Kayakers had even traversed a 20m waterfall in the flood.

"The instant pain was a bit of a worry but the first thing I did was wiggle my toes and fingers," 37-year old McCormick said.

Experienced paddler Blair Anderson said more people were being drawn to the Wainui when it was in flood and that brought dangers.

"The young guys are getting into the extreme stuff at a much younger age, but now they've got to learn about safety," he said. "You need the young guys to push the boundaries but sometimes you need wisdom to kick in, too.

"Someone will die on the river."