Person dies suddenly at Rainbow Falls in Kerikeri

Saturday, 16 March 2019

A person has died suddenly at Rainbow Falls in Kerikeri.

Initial reports suggest the person got into difficulty while swimming at the Northland beauty spot on Saturday afternoon.

They were pulled from the water but could not be revived.

St John spokeswoman Neha Concisom said three ambulances attended following a call at 2.07pm. Police also attended the incident. 

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

Rainbow Falls is a 27 metre-high waterfall and popular swimming spot on Kerikeri River.

Drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death in New Zealand, after motor vehicle accidents and falls.

A survey held by Water Safety NZ (WSNZ) last year found the majority of respondents recognised drowning as a serious issue, with over a third reporting experiencing a 'serious situation' in water.

The leading cause for trouble reported was underestimation of conditions. WSNZ CEO Jonty Mills said at the time the survey results were published that this happened 'time and time again when it comes to fatal preventable drowning incidents'.

'New Zealand has a drowning problem. Our drowning rate is twice that of Australia and four times that of the UK.

'Too often we see people drown because they overestimate their abilities and underestimate the risk. Prepare for the worst and expect the unexpected around water,' Mills said.

In an average year, 80 people will drown according to WSNZ. In the first two months of 2019, 21 preventable drowning deaths were recorded.