Man dies at Omanawa Falls in West Bay of Plenty

One person died at Omanawa Falls in the western Bay of Plenty this afternoon.

A police spokeswoman said the body of a man was located shortly after 4 p.m. Death has been referred to the coroner.

Police were called to Omanawa Rd around 2.30pm after a report that someone had scaled a cliff and did not return to their group, police previously said.

“There is some concern that they have fallen.”

He said then that the rescue operation would include a rescue helicopter and firefighters, as well as police officers.

A park ranger from the Tauranga City Council was also at the scene.

A park ranger from the Tauranga City Council was also at the scene.

Sarah Levers, a resident of Omanawa Rd, said there had been a lot of activity around the falls during the rescue effort.

“There is currently a hearse there,” he said.

“Before there were a couple of fire trucks, an ambulance, at least six police cars. The police cars actually prevented the neighbors from returning to the house.”

The steep and slip-prone road to the falls has long been closed and people have been warned to stay away, but authorities have struggled to keep locals and tourists away despite the fences and signs of warning.

Their efforts have not been helped by numerous posts on social media promoting the beauty of the dangerous place.

Student Kishore Kumar Arvindan, 27, drowned in the pool at the base of the falls in 2018 and over the years several people have been injured trying to access the falls, some seriously.

This summer, the cultural ambassadors – kaitiaki – of the local hapū Ngāti Hangarau have been at the entrance of the falls warning people to stay away.

They have turned away dozens, but said people were still coming in when the kaitiaki weren’t there. It is understood that they left when the rain started today, before the group the man was with arrived.

The hapū is also working with the Tauranga City Council and Tourism Bay of Plenty on a nearly $ 4 million plan to make access safe and eventually reopen the falls to the public. The plan is in the design stage.