Tourist slip inquest: 'Unusual circumstances' make analysis difficult

Joanna Lam and Connor Hayes were killed when their campervan was swept off the Haast Pass. Photo / Facebook

Overseas tourists being given more comprehensive driving and road information is one likely outcome of the inquest into the death of two Canadian tourists, at Haast in September 2013.

The proposal was among several mentioned during the reconvened inquest at the Greymouth District Court yesterday into the death of Connor Hayes and Joanna Lam, who died on September 10 last year while driving through the Haast Pass during extreme weather.

Southern regional coroner David Crerar heard further evidence today following his formal finding in February, which established the deaths of Mr Hayes and Ms Lam.

Tasman police district specialist crash investigator Simon Burbery, said the time between the immediate storm aftermath, and the realisation that Ms Lam and Mr Hayes were missing, meant possible debris from their campervan and other clues, including tyre marks on the road edge, were gone by the time a proper search got under way on September 17.

The pair were last seen alive in the Haast township on the evening of September 10. They were on their way to Wanaka when they were apparently swept to their deaths in one of the slips brought down at Diana Falls, either that evening or later in the night, on the steep uphill section of the Haast Pass.

Miss Lam's body was recovered about 5km north of the Haast River mouth, shortly after she was reported missing on September 17. Mr Hayes' body has never been found.

Mr Burbery said the "unusual circumstances" surrounding their disappearance meant analysis of the events which led to their deaths was difficult.

He said they were either caught by a slip, were parked up and then washed away, or the campervan had slipped off the road edge while trying to avoid debris on the road.

A campervan was seen near Snapshot Creek at 6.30pm but, "it has never been confirmed it was them". However, given the time sequence of events it seemed likely it was the missing tourists.

Mr Burbery said what appeared to be their campervan had driven across the Gates of Haast bridge when road worker William Caird was putting out warning signs. Mr Caird had earlier recommended the road be closed from Haast township.

Other vehicles in the Diana Falls and Pipin Creek area at the time were at least five minutes behind. This included the vehicle of Haast resident Dayna Buchanan, who was on her way to Dunedin and was subsequently guided across the Gates of Haast by Mr Caird.

They were halted by a small slip and decided to turn around and return to Haast township.

Ms Buchanan told the inquest that at the point they began to turn around, she spotted a white campervan pulled up about 15 to 20m away on the other side of the slip. The campervan did not respond to light signals made by the vehicles on her side of the slip.

Under questioning from the coroner, Ms Buchanan said that after retrieving her vehicle the following morning she reported what she had seen.

Mr Caird, a roadman at Haast for 33 years, said he had seen many storms in the Haast area worse than on September 10, 2013. However, he did contact NZTA consultants Opus to advise that the 79km section of road between Haast township and Makarora be closed.

"The road was closed below the Gates of Haast bridge and around 6.30pm the road was still okay to the top of the summit," Mr Caird said.

Asked why he let the campervan go by, Mr Caird said it had passed the known problem area at that point, and up to the Diana Falls area the road was open.

"I rechecked the area and never saw the campervan, so I suppose I assumed they got through to the other side," Mr Caird said.

NZTA independent consultant Edward Guy said that despite measures to close the road it was "reasonable to assume" drivers in the pass already would be unaware that the road had been closed beyond the known slips already blocking the road.

Mr Guy said it was also unlikely, that given the conditions at the time, any subsequent recommendations might "have changed the outcome".

On closing the inquest Mr Crerar reserved making any formal recommendations, pending further consultation with interested parties, including the families involved.

- Greymouth Star