Seven dead in drowning tragedy 

The grim facts of a mass drowning tragedy south of Turangi in the central North Island have been confirmed overnight.

Seven people died after a school group got into difficulty in a flooded stream in the Mangatepopo gorge in the Tongariro National Park.

The victims have been named as 29-year-old teacher Anthony McLean and students Natasha Bray, 16, of Pakuranga, Portia McPhail, 16, of Manurewa, Huan (Tom) Hsu, 16, of Farm Cove, Anthony Mulder, 16, of Howick, Floyd Fernandez, 16, of Howick and Tara Gregory, 16, of Mt Wellington.

The Elim Christian College students from Howick in Auckland had been taking part in adventure training at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Turangi. The school makes trips to the centre each year for outdoor education activities and leadership training.

The 40 strong party of sixth formers included a teacher and an adult instructor.

Rising river levels after heavy rain caught the students by surprise, and they were swept downstream.

Five bodies were brought out on Tuesday night, and rescue crews from Turangi recovered the final two bodies on Wednesday morning in a more inaccessible area of the rugged gorge.

Five other people in the group were found relatively safe, with one being taken to Taupo hospital.

One teacher is among the dead.

Caught by surprise

Outdoor Pursuits Centre Chief Executive Grant Davidson has confirmed the massive wave that caught the school group came shockingly fast.

"At three o'clock there was 0.5 cumecs (in the river), at 3:30pm there was 18 - which is the equivalent of the Tongariro going down the river - at four o'clock it was back to 0.5. So there was a wave of water that came through within that half hour period," says Davidson.

The river suddenly surged and the group was overtaken, in a gorge-like terrain with very steep sides and few escape points.

"It looks as if there has been sudden flash flooding which was difficult to foresee," Police Inspector Steve Mastrovich said.
   
"The instructor was with them and they were just caught at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Mastrovich, who co-ordinated the search and rescue operation for the school group, says the focus had been on searching for survivors and helping those involved.

He says the party had wet suits and floatation vests, and went in with the aim of navigating their way down the stream and walking out.

Mastrovich says he cannot speculate on the wisdom in having gone on the trip.

The helicopter pilot involved in the recovery operation says it is one of the worst missions he has ever been involved in.

Taupo Square Trust chief pilot John Funnell says the loss of seven lives is undescribable and the most significant event in his 30 years as a rescue pilot.

Funnell says a lot of credit must be given to the ground teams who recovered all of the bodies.

The Outdoor Pursuits Centre will do its own inquiry into the incident and a full coroner's inquiry has already started which will run parallel to police investigations.

Weather warnings

MetService had given warnings of bad weather to come.

MetService Severe Weather forecaster Paul Mallinson says a severe thunderstorm watch was issued at 8.30 on Tuesday morning, which included Taumarunui and Taupo.

It mentioned heavy rain of up to 40 millimetres an hour or more. He says such watches mention the possibility of flash flooding and slips.

Mallinson says the question is whether people hear such warnings.

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