Caution urged as people head to the water

Four incidents in five days over the Christmas period has sparked a plea for care from the Queenstown Lakes District harbourmaster Marty Black.

The summer influx to the area traditionally brought an increased use of lakes and rivers.

The series of incidents began just over a week ago and included the tragic death of a 29-year-old British doctor on Friday on the Matukituki River.

“One fatality is one too many but before and since the Matukituki accident we have seen other incidents that could so easily have ended in further tragedy,’ Mr Black said.
On the Tuesday night before Christmas a woman received minor injuries when a private jet boat, carrying a family, including an elderly person got into difficulty on the Shotover River.

“Unfortunately the boat had some gear difficulties and became jammed in reverse, which caused it to back into the bank and trees where it got caught by the current and flipped. I’m amazed no one was seriously injured,” Mr Black said.
Other incidents during the period included a search on Saturday night for teenagers on floating devices on the Kawarau River.

“They had not shown up and it was getting on for dark but fortunately they got themselves out,” Mr Black said.
Also at the weekend two ‘grown’ men were located floating in the middle of the Frankton Arm in a child’s toy ‘blow-up’ boat with no lifejackets and several empty beer bottles.
“That just begs belief. Conditions can change very quickly in our district and water temperatures are deceptively cold,” he said.

The message was to have fun but never take the waterways for granted.

“With the sheer number of people out and about caution is needed at all times. For example life jackets are mandatory and so is ensuring someone knows where you are and when you intend to return,’ he said.

In particular skiers and jet skis should all keep plenty of distance. No-one could be in charge of a jet-ski under 15-years-of-age and extra care was needed on all rivers.
“The rivers are all running quite high, which means there can be hidden obstacles, in particular the Clutha River requires extreme caution, it’s a good metre higher than normal,” Mr Black said.

Another issue cropping up was night use of craft. “If you don’t have navigation lights you are a liability and an accident waiting to happen.”

The Lakes District was an incredible place to be on holiday and the waterways were an important part of that experience.

“With a bit of commonsense and care we can keep everybody safe,” Mr Black said.