Kelvin Davis talks to the media at Abbey Caves Whangarei.
Parents are anxious about school caving trips following the death of a boy in Whangārei’s Abbey Caves yesterday, with another North Island school having to reassure the community of their safety.
A Year 11 Whangārei Boys’ High School student disappeared after he and 14 of his classmates, accompanied by two teachers, got into difficulty on an outdoor education trip on Tuesday. His body was recovered by search and rescue teams overnight.
Melville High School in Hamilton has now been forced to reassure parents of the safety of their school trip to the Waitomo Caves in Waikato this Friday.
“The nature of the caving experience and the caves we will be visiting whilst at Waitomo is extremely different from the Whangārei caving experience,” principal Sandra Buchanan said in a statement.
“We wish to reassure parents that we will not be going into the small wet caves below ground. Both caves we are visiting are large, open caves.”
They went on to explain that the Waitomo Caves have built-in infrastructure such as a wheelchair ramp, stepped-in access to the cave and walkways that sit “high above” the water level.
Waitomo Caves have walkways and better, safer access than the Abbey Caves. Photo / Shaun Jeffers
This is significantly different from the Abbey Caves near Whangārei.
A former tour guide of the Abbey Caves told the Herald earlier today access to the three caves is over a steep wooden stile and down a series of box steps and paths which become muddy and slippery after rain.
To access Organ Cave, where the group came into distress, people must climb down large rocks and boulders, and a torch is needed to be able to see a path between its limestone walls.
Buchanan said they had been liaising with Waitomo Caves staff, and are confident that given Friday’s weather forecast, the trip will continue safely despite recent heavy rainfall in Waikato.
“We are confident that the students will be safe on this trip and wish to assure parents that should the condition of the caves not be suitable, for the students to enter, we will follow the advice of the company responsible and complete alternatives activities above ground,” Buchanan said.
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo acknowledged yesterday that the Abbey Caves are on council land and are not staffed, but there was sign-posted advice warning of the perils of “rapidly” forming floodwaters.
“The caves can fill with water to more than waist-deep on an adult,” it reads.
The former Abbey Caves tour guide told the Herald just 2 to 3mm of rain would normally prompt a trip like this to be cancelled due to the propensity for flash flooding.
MetService forecast 90mm of rain for Northland for Tuesday. An orange heavy rain warning was issued for the region. Come Tuesday morning, as the tragedy unfolded, 23mm fell between midnight and lunchtime.
