Girl survives 42m fall down ravine

Press, 9 January 1986, Page 1

Girl survives 42m fall down ravine

A girl was lucky to escape with her life when both she and her horse fell into a ravine on the Glenhope station, near the Lewis Pass, yesterday. Elizabeth Taiaroa, aged 15, of Waikari, was reported in a comfortable condition in Christchurch Hospital last evening after suffering a broken wrist, broken collar bone, cuts, abrasions, and severe shock in the accident. Her horse died. “There must have been a guardian angel watching over her,” said Constable Peter Gilfedder, of the Hanmer Springs police. Elizabeth was on an organised pony trek with the Hawarden-Waikari Pony Club beside the Waiau River about 10 a.m. yesterday, when her horse shied. She and the horse slid down a steep cliff, through bracken and native shrubs, before coming to rest on a ledge about 42m down. Some adults with the

group managed to scramble down the bank and move the girl away from the horse. As the horse tried to stand it slipped, and toppled another 50m to the bottom of the ravine. It had not been recovered last evening.

A doctor was called from Hanmer Springs. Because the nearby Hope River was too high to cross by four-wheel-drive vehicle, the doctor and several St John Ambulance workers rode into the area on horseback. The. doctor attended to Elizabeth on the cliff face while a helicopter flew from Christchurch to take her to hospital. It arrived about 1 p.m., but Constable Gilfedder decided it was too dangerous to use the helicopter to winch Elizabeth out.

A rope attached to a cradle was thrown down the cliff, and Elizabeth was hauled to the top of the track.

Constable Gilfedder said the women in the pony club did a “fantastic job” during the hauling. They anchored the rope and held Elizabeth while the men took breaks as they pulled her up. Both Elizabeth and the doctor were flown to nearby Glynn Wye station before Elizabeth was flown to Hagley Park and transferred to Christchurch Hospital. The helicopter reached Christchurch at 3.30 p.m.

Senior-Sergeant Des Crowe, of the Rangiora police, said the winching was a difficult exercise which involved a considerable amount of manpower, for which the police were most grateful. He commended the staff from both Glenhope station and Glynn Wye station, the doctor, members of the pony trek and Constable Gilfedder.

“It was a very nasty experience for the girl,” he said.