Kaikōura boating tragedy: Second victim identified as Ministry of Education worker from Lower Hutt

A second victim of yesterday's Kaikōura boating tragedy has been identified, with the woman's husband saying he is distraught at the news of her death.

Cathye​ Haddock​ from Lower Hutt died alongside four others when the 8.5m charter vessel they were on collided with something in the "perfect, flat" water and capsized with 11 people on board off Goose Bay around 10am on Saturday.

This included 10 members of the Nature Photography Society of New Zealand and the vessel's skipper.

Haddock's husband, Peter Simpson, told Stuff his wife - who worked at the Ministry of Education and loved the outdoors - was with her long-time friend, also from Lower Hutt, on the wildlife photography excursion.

Simpson said he was notified of Haddock's death on Saturday while on a motorcycle trip with friends.

He was stricken with grief and "felt like a possum that's been run over".

According to the Nature's Photography Society NZ's President's Column for August this year, Haddock had only become a member of the group last month.

Outdoor Training New Zealand paid tribute to Haddock on Facebook, saying she was a pioneer in risk management for teachers, MSC staff and other outdoor instructors in outdoor education settings.

They said she published many risk management manuals and was chair/co-ordinator of the Risk Management Committee for the Turangi MSC.

"Such a sad loss to the outdoors community. Our thoughts go to her husband Peter and family."

Another victim killed in the boating tragedy is being remembered as an avid photographer and an "amazing dad" by his grieving daughter.

Christchurch man Peter Charles Hockley's daughter told Stuff her "amazing" father is believed to have been in the vessel's cabin alongside the four other victims when the accident happened. The family learned of his death late yesterday afternoon.

"We don't even know who else is dead and who else survived. We just know that dad was one of the ones in the cabin," his daughter told Stuff.

The daughter said her father was a talented photographer who loved spending time at his Otematata bach in Otago, where he would take many photographs.

"It was his life."

Otematata Residents' Association chairman Steve Dalley described Peter Hockley as a "well-thought-of man" who will be dearly missed within the community.

Dalley said the late photographer owned a holiday home in the area and enjoyed the wildlife and photo opportunities it offered him.

Hockley took the photos that produced a calendar each year for the association as a part of a fundraiser that helped pay for the upkeep of the Otematata wetlands Hockley was very fond of. His photographs had a "cult following", Dalley said.

"He was a very kind, humble man, generous to our community and very well thought of."

Meanwhile, a Goose Bay local says he spotted a whale within "two or three hundred yards" (180-275m) of the accident site yesterday.

Kevin Anderson said while the rescue was still unfolding he saw a whale heading north, diving under the water within two or three hundred yards of the vessel.

The retiree said there was nothing else near the vessel at the time and the sea was dead calm.

A rescue helicopter circling the upturned boat in Goose Bay, Kaikoura, yesterday. Photo / Supplied

Anderson said he had never seen anything like it in the 20 years he had lived in the area.

"We were watching the television and because we had the glare, I had the blinds down and when we'd finished watching we put the blinds up and there's this boat upside down just out here. And there were five or six people clinging to the top of it."

Anderson said he then saw a white boat heading towards the upturned vessel and picking up all but one of the people.

The coastguard then arrived and the remaining man on the boat indicated to them with his hands that there were four or five people still under the boat.

"We could see that clearly from here - we had the telescope clearly on it."

He said he spotted the whale shortly after the Coastguard arrived.

"We were just in shock, we just sat here and just watched the whole thing. Nothing we could do, we had all the emergency services down there."

Kevin and Erin Anderson were eyewitnesses to the tragic boating accident at Goose Bay on Saturday morning, and said they saw a whale in close proximity to the upturned vessel. Photo / Tim Cuff

Anderson said they only saw whales near their home "once or twice" a year, and they normally do not go close to boats.

"Terrible, terrible, terrible tragedy that's just out of the blue, there's nothing you can do."

'To lose five lives is devastating'

Marlborough police acting response manager Detective Sergeant Michael Whitty said several investigations were under way into the circumstances of the accident.

"Five people were located deceased. The remaining six were assessed by medical personnel, and one was transferred to Christchurch Hospital as a precaution - where they remain in a stable condition.

"To lose five lives is devastating and their loss will be felt widely across the country."

The vessel had been recovered and would be examined as part of the investigations, Whitty said.

"Formal identification procedures remain ongoing, and as such we are unable to confirm the identities of the deceased at this time.

"Police's focus remains on supporting everyone involved, including the victims and their families, their local communities, and emergency services personnel.

"Our thoughts are with the victims' families and friends at this incredibly difficult time."

Whitty acknowledged all of those involved in the recovery efforts.

So far, police have not confirmed it was a whale that caused the boat to flip, saying only that the vessel collided with "something" but they were speaking to a number of people to find out what had happened.

However, Kaikōura's mayor, Craig Mackle, said yesterday that he believed the boat had hit a whale.

'We're grieving with you and we're so sorry'

Fish Kaikōura Charters owner Sharlene Ealam, who is married to the boat's skipper, told 1News the incident "was an unprecedented tragedy".

"Our thoughts and our prayers are with the families and the friends of the deceased," she said.

"And I just wanted to say thank you so much to the first responders and for all of the support and love that we've all received.

"We're grieving with you and we're so sorry," Ealam said.

Ealam said she couldn't comment on what caused the boat to capsize, but confirmed the company would co-operate fully with the investigation.

Earlier today, the photography society whose members were on the boat spoke of their "tragic loss".

"The Nature Photography Society of New Zealand is saddened by the tragic loss at sea in Kaikōura during a trip by society members that took the lives of five of our members," the group said on its Facebook page this morning.

"We do not yet know what caused the vessel to capsize and that is something that will be addressed by Maritime NZ in due course.

"In the meantime, our thoughts are with the families of those members of the society who have lost their lives."

Dr Murray Cave, chair of the Nature Photography Society of NZ Honours Board, said the charter was the first sea trip for members since Covid-19.

"We have had a few trips there on occasions every year or so, but not in the last couple of years because of Covid."

He suspected the trip out from Kaikōura was the only trip the society has done at sea.

Photo from a helicopter circling the upturned vessel in Goose Bay with one person seen on the hull. Photo / Supplied

One nature photographer, Gary Speer, said he went on a birdwatching trip off the coast of Kaikōura several years ago as part of a Photography New Zealand conference in a twin-hull boat like those used by Whale Watch Kaikōura.

He recalled it being a fantastic trip with hundreds of birds.

"You didn't know where to point your camera."

Speer said the boat that went out yesterday would have been moving along slowly with someone throwing fish out the back to attract birds.

"If they had hit a log moving slowly it would have caused a bit of a slump but not tipped the boat over. A whale coming up would have," he said.

Flowers left on the shore of Goose Bay today after five people lost their lives in a charter boat tragedy yesterday. Photo / Katie Harris

The police dive squad recovered the bodies of the five people who had been found dead in the vessel, Sergeant Matt Boyce said.

"We are in the process of identifying those people and our next job is to notify their next of kin."

He said it was an "unprecedented event" that involved a significant response from emergency services and members of the public.

"This is a tragic event and police are providing support to those involved at this very difficult time," Boyce said.

Appeal for witnesses

Meanwhile, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is appealing for witnesses who saw the accident unfold.

Chief investigator Naveen Kozhuppakalam wants to hear from anyone who saw or recorded what happened – before, during or after the incident. The best way is to email TAIC at info@taic.org.nz

"The Commission investigation will run alongside investigations from other agencies. Two investigators are assigned to secure evidence, talk to witnesses, examine any electronic evidence available and look at the circumstances of the incident."

A local Kaikōura resident who assisted at the scene said they knew one of the victims - who was connected to their son's school.

She went to the shore to help with the search.

"It wasn't much, but more than I was adding being at home.

It was difficult to see clearly along the coast due to the large number of seals sprawled along the rocks, she said.

"This will be a horrific time for the families and will be felt throughout our close community tonight and years to come," she said.

"We didn't even lose five people in our 2016 earthquake."

Police could not say who the charter was operated by. The skipper was taken to hospital but police do not believe he was injured.

The pilot of the first rescue helicopter at the scene said he saw no one in the water when he arrived.

"It's a terrible thing - it's something you don't want to see with people in the water," Kaikōura pilot Daniel Stevenson said.

Just before he arrived, a pleasure craft got to the scene and grabbed the first group of people that were outside the boat and took them back to Kaikōura.

According to Stevenson, the coastguard arrived shortly afterward. They jumped into the water but couldn't get under the boat and requested a diver.

Stevenson flew back to Kaikōura, picked up a diver and hovered beside the upturned vessel.

"They jumped into the water out of the helicopter to see if there was anyone trapped inside the vessel," Stevenson said.

The mayor said it was a tragic event that affected many lives, not least of all family and loved ones.

"Our heartfelt sorrow and condolences to you all."

Mackle said he wanted to thank everyone involved in the rescue and recovery.

"Being able to bring everyone home is the best result in such a terrible circumstance."

Whales were resident and had been seen in the area, Mackle said.

Sea conditions at the time were "perfect, flat", he said.

Asked if the boat was overloaded, Mackle said he couldn't answer that.

The coastguard echoed that it was a "tragic operation".

"Our thoughts go out to friends and family of the deceased," the coastguard said.

'He's a very safe man'

Richard Hill from Cods and Crays fish and chip shop told RNZ he had worked with the skipper on the boat before.

"He's a very safe man, there's no way he'd take any risks.

''So there's just got to be something, sort of a freak of nature, I would have thought. A very sad day for Kaikōura really, just a shock," Hill said.

Richard Hill from Cods and Crays fish and chip, visits Goose Bay this afternoon to pay his respects following yesterday's tragedy. Photo / Katie Harris

Hill was at Goose Bay today paying his respects.

He told the Herald people in Kaikōura were feeling "pretty numb" because they had been through "so much" already.

"This is another thing for Kaikōura that we don't need really, it's terrible, poor families."

Tracy Phillips, Maritime NZ principal investigator, said the organisation had sent two investigators from Christchurch to Kaikōura.

"Any investigation activity will commence only after rescue/recovery operations have concluded. We'll be conducting a thorough investigation under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Maritime Transport Act and we'll do everything we can to support NZ police in their investigation."

Kaikōura District councillor Lisa Bond said the incident was "incredibly heartbreaking".

The South Bay slipway was closed to the public while police responded.

A reporter on the shore at Goose Bay said at 1.45pm he could see three boats, two of which looked to be Coastguard vessels, and four helicopters in the vicinity of the overturned vessel.

Three rescue helicopters were sent to the scene, one from Wellington and two Westpac Rescue Helicopters from Christchurch.

An image on social media showed a number of people on top of the upturned boat, awaiting rescue.