Rafter drowns in Rangitaiki

Press, 14 December 1982, Page 2

Rafter drowns in Rangitaiki

PA Rotorua A young man drowned in the Rangitaiki River on Saturday when he was knocked from a homemade raft, the Rotorua police said yesterday. He was Kevin Martin Hodgson, aged 19, an apprentice electrician, ol Rotorua. He had been knocked off the raft earlier, but had climbed back on. Soon after, his raft hit a rock and he was swept into a swift stretch of rapids, caught on a snag, and pushed under by the force of the water. Mr Hodgson’s body was recovered by other members of the rafting party. In another rafting incident, a 22-member party, stranded on the banks of the Motu River on Sunday, when flood waters swept two of its three rafts away, arrived back in Opotiki safe and well yesterday morning. An Opotiki jet boat driver, Mr C. Johnson, early yesterday morning towed one raft back to the party, so that it could complete its journey down the Motu, and brought out four members of the party. The rivef had dropped to safe levels, after running to 4m above normal on Sunday. The rafts earlier broke

i from their moorings and ] were carried downstream by the high waters. I Mr Johnson also carried a > battery to another jet boat stranded overnight upstream of the rafters. It was thought I to have broken.down after water shorted its electrical system. f •Mr M. Ryan, a professional I rafter who helped with the rescue, said the river was ! still running high yesterday . morning. t “It was about 2m above ■ normal with a lot ol pressure waves and floating debris,” ; he said.