1995 Cave Creek disaster

In April 1994, Department of Conservation workers finished constructing a viewing platform which was built out over a cliff at Cave Creek, in the Paparoa National Park.

The platform was built so that visitors could look down a 40 metre chasm to see the headwaters of Cave Creek come out from an underground cave system.

On 28 April, 1995, a group of students and tutors from the outdoor recreation course at Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth visited the site as part of a field trip to study the limestone formations and caves in the area.

As the party walked into the bush, it split into two groups. The larger group of 18, including the Punakaiki Field Centre officer, reached the viewing platform first.

At 11:25 am, as the 18 people moved onto the platform, it tipped off its base and fell onto the boulders and rocks of the creek-bed below, taking the victims with it. One student later described how he "rode" the platform down, holding onto the handrail.

The second group reached the point where the platform had been almost immediately. The polytechnic tutor and two students climbed down to the scene of the accident, while the other conservation officer and a student went for help.

They had to run back to the start of the track where the group's vehicles had been left, but the keys were not in them. The DOC officer went back to the scene of the accident with warm clothing from the vans.

The student ran on along the road to the state highway, carrying a note which gave details of the accident location and emphasised the need for rescue helicopters. Finally he reached a house and phoned the Greymouth police. It was now 12:15 pm, almost an hour after the accident.

Ambulances were sent from Greymouth and Westport while helicopters in Christchurch were alerted.

Two hours after the accident a Greymouth police constable made it on foot into the accident site and reported that five of the injured needed to be lifted out as soon as possible.

Using helicopters and stretchers, four of the injured were eventually lifted out. One was suffering from severe spinal injuries.

By 5:30 pm 14 bodies had been winched up and flown out by helicopter.