Pair brain-damaged in Lion Rock fall had been drinking

The scene at Piha's Lion Rock on Auckland's west coast where two men fell nearly 60m just past midnight on Wednesday. Photo / Richard Robinson

Two men who suffered brain injuries after falling more than 60m from Lion Rock at Piha had been drinking alcohol, police have confirmed.

The pair, aged 18 and 31, were part of a group of seven who drove to Piha from a house in West Auckland, said the head of the Waitakere CIB, Detective Senior Sergeant Stan Brown.

Three of them walked up Lion Rock past a barrier warning people not to go any further because of erosion.

They fell about 12.15am on Wednesday, landing on rocks.

A member of the group knocked on senior lifeguard Jonathon Webber's door nearby to get help. He alerted emergency services, then took a surf club quad bike to where the injured men were and gave them first aid.

Mr Brown said the uninjured man had told police what happened but they needed to speak to the two victims, who remain unconscious in Auckland City Hospital.

It could take months before police could get their version of events, Mr Brown said.

"There hasn't been any major breakthroughs. We've spoke to all the members of the group involved and Piha locals but we still don't know what's actually happened."

Several Piha residents had speculated on what had happened but most of the stories were untrue, Mr Brown said.

Reports the men had been play-fighting before they fell did not match what the uninjured man had told police, Mr Brown said.

The group of people, who did not live at Piha, had gathered at a house in West Auckland before driving to the beach.

The two injured men had driven a white Nissan Ute.

The Auckland Regional Council general manager of parks, Mace Ward, said the since the warning barrier was put up on Lion Rock about six years ago, there had been one fatal fall - involving a man who had been camping with friends high on the landmark.

He said the council would not block access to the rock following the latest incident.

* Police are still keen to speak with any witnesses to the latest incident and encourage them to phone the Henderson police station.