Safety sought after rafting fatality

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 2

Safety sought after rafting fatality

PA Rotorua .Two large rafts, containing/ i a total of 19 people, set-xiff "ji , from below the. Motu Falls 1 on April 8 for a four-day trip i down the river,. an Opotiki inquest heard. . The Coroner, Mr J.' Hodg- ] son, of Opotiki, found that ’ William Francis Holt.died in i the Motu River on April 9 1 from drowning. Contributing < factors were exposure, shock, < •and minor trauma suffered i by the victim when he' fell from a toiir party raft in . . which'he had been travelling during sudden adverse condi- ] tions. t \ The Court heard that dur- ] irig Easter, the time of the ' rafting trip; a cyclonic storm , ‘had struck the East Cape ] region in spite of forecasts ; for fine weather. |

The Coroner said he would .“make certain” that safety recommendations by the Solicitor acting for Mr Holt’s family were brought before the authorities. , “There is a need for what, may be called adventure parties on the remote and wild rivers of New Zealand to be thoroughly prepared as far as equipment is concerned, and also to keep a close watch on weather conditions,” said the Coroner. Mr D. L. Duggan, for the family, asked the Coroner to pass on a recommendation to the. New Zealand Rafting Association, and the Marine Division of the Ministry of Transport, seeking prompt publication of a manual of preferred rafting practice, being drawn up by the two bodies.