{"id":202340,"date":"2025-12-26T06:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T06:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/202340\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T06:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T06:35:09","slug":"waikato-river-float-warning-as-taupo-officials-highlight-drowning-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/202340\/","title":{"rendered":"Waikato River float warning as Taup\u014d officials highlight drowning risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, with outflows from Lake Taup\u014d expected to be higher than normal, the risk has also increased. <\/p>\n

Any flow above 140 cumecs (cubic metres of water per second) is considered high risk.<\/p>\n

Police, the Harbourmaster and the T\u016bwharetoa M\u0101ori Trust Board all say the trip is more hazardous than people expect. <\/p>\n

T\u016bwharetoa M\u0101ori Trust Board has a simple message for all users of Taup\u014d Waters this summer: \u201cKia t\u016bpato, kia ora!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kia t\u016bpato means to be careful! Kia ora means to stay alive!<\/p>\n

Being careful means respecting the river and its power. Only strong, fit and experienced swimmers should attempt the river float. A well-fitting lifejacket should be worn at all times<\/p>\n

Staying alive means you should not do anything to put your life, or the lives of others, in danger. It also means having a safety plan and a form of waterproof communication before venturing out onto any of the Taup\u014d waters.<\/p>\n

Lake Taup\u014d Harbourmaster Jamie Grant said he was concerned about the number of people who attempt the river float on blow-ups such as air beds and pool toys without wearing a lifejacket or having any means of steering.<\/p>\n

He said alcohol consumption was also a safety risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWater doesn\u2019t care how cool you are, which is why we\u2019re reminding people to respect the river this summer,\u201d Grant said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people don\u2019t understand how dangerous rivers can be. Fresh water is not as buoyant as sea water and the river has unpredictable currents. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you miss the exits at \u014ctumuheke [Spa Park] or Hipapatua, there are only a few places to get off the river before the current will drag you over Huka Falls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taup\u014d Police Senior Constable Barry Shepherd has attended numerous rescues on the river. His message to anyone undertaking the river float was to be properly prepared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not much good when your flotation device gets a hole in it, so wear a buoyancy vest. Hanging onto cheap floatation devices and not wearing a lifejacket can be disastrous if something unexpected happens,\u201d Shepherd said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want everybody to have fun this summer but keeping yourself and those around you safe, is critical. We want you to go home in one piece and not be in the news for the wrong reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Water Safety New Zealand said the biggest issue with river safety was that people underestimate the risk. Fast-flowing currents make rivers New Zealand\u2019s most dangerous aquatic environment. Currents can pull people underwater or push them against an obstacle where they become trapped.<\/p>\n

You can check the planned river flow by calling Mercury\u2019s freephone number 0800 820 082 and selecting \u201cplanned outflow from Lake Taup\u014d\u201d.<\/p>\n

Top tips for staying safe on the Waikato River this summer:<\/p>\n

Respect the river.Use a safe, well-maintained flotation device (not a pool toy) and have a way to steer it.Know your exit point (Spa Park or Hipapatua\/Reid\u2019s Farm).Wear a well-fitting life jacket.Check the flow before you go \u2013 over 140 cumecs = extreme risk. Call 0800 820 082.Be aware of hazards: submerged logs, snags, currents, sudden drop-offs.Buddy up \u2013 keep an eye out for each other.Save the drinks for off the river.Carry waterproof communication (e.g., phone in a sealed bag) so you can call for help if needed.<\/p>\n

– Content supplied by Taup\u014d Regional Council<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year, with outflows from Lake Taup\u014d expected to be higher than normal, the risk has also increased.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":202341,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[806,9944,21044,17827,111,43,139,69,10711,7192,6739,1852,1524,1455],"class_list":["post-202340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-as","tag-drowning","tag-float","tag-highlight","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-officials","tag-risk","tag-river","tag-taup","tag-waikato","tag-warning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}