On a Spring evening, Patricia Wilson Wirihana Takanini joined a young girl on a sea biscuit ride along the lower Waitara River in Waitara, New Zealand.
The 40-year-old Kohanga Reo teacher was towed behind a jetski heading upstream towards the Town Bridge that connects Mclean Street and North Street in Waitara in the Taranaki region on the north island.
The ride, which should have been a light-hearted fun, turned into a tragedy within minutes.
Patricia Wilson Wirihana Takanini, also known as Tina Wilson, died in November 2021. (Stuff)
As the group approached the bridge, the driver, Mr Toa, said he slowed to what he described as his “ritual” approach speed of 20km/h (11 knots).
He believed that keeping a steady throttle kept the biscuit directly in the wake and safely away from danger.
But under New Zealand’s maritime rules, vessels must not exceed five knots within 200 metres of any structure, including bridges. The law is designed precisely to prevent the kind of catastrophe that unfolded that night.
Moments before the bridge, the young girl fell into the river. The biscuit then lifted over the wake and swung towards a concrete pillar.
Mr Toa later told investigators that he yelled for Takanini to let go, though he knew it was unlikely she heard him.
By the time he released the throttle to attempt a hard turn, the biscuit was less than two metres from the bridge.
At that time, Takanini came off the ski biscuit, was flung forward and struck her head against the pillar.
She was pulled from the water unresponsive, and despite immediate resuscitation efforts, her death was confirmed at 7.48pm on November 10, 2021.
The coroner later recorded her cause of death as multiple injuries, including a severe head injury.
Wilson had found out she had beaten breast cancer just five months before the tragic accident.
Coroner Heidi Wrigley ruled that the jet ski’s speed was the key factor in the tragedy.
“The circumstances of Ms Wilson Wirihana Takanini’s death demonstrate the life-saving importance of following this rule when using a jet ski to tow passengers on ski biscuits in the vicinity of bridges or other structures,” Wrigley wrote in the report.
The Waitara River where the accident occurred. (Stuff)
The coroner also pointed to inadequate signage around the Town Bridge and recommended that Maritime NZ work with local authorities to ensure clearer warnings for river users, as well as launching wider publicity campaigns about the five-knot rule.
Maritime NZ accepted the need for local action, saying, “We agree that work should be undertaken with the New Plymouth District Council on the Waitara River to address in particular the issue relating to signage on the Town Bridge, which was a contributor to this fatal incident.”
However, Maritime NZ pushed back against a nationwide rollout, noting that “differences in contexts and environmental conditions across New Zealand’s river network mean that a single intervention (in this case, signage) would likely not be the key to reducing harm in all circumstances”.
Instead, it said resources would be better targeted through its Recreational Craft Harm Prevention Programme, which works with Harbourmasters, Coastguard and sporting organisations to improve boating safety.
“We consider this Programme has the networks and insights to identify the best approach to addressing the harms that occurred in this incident, that may include a focus on signage in some areas,” Maritime NZ said.
Although no charges were laid against the jet ski operator, the coroner’s findings underscored how quickly speed and proximity to structures can turn recreation into tragedy.
This story has been reproduced with permission from Stuff.co.nz.