Tributes flow for raft guide
‘‘THE mighty totara has fallen.’’
Stunned family, friends and colleagues have paid tribute to Queenstown rafting guide MoanaRoa Keith ‘‘Chief’’ Haare, who died on Friday morning at the Shotover River.
Queenstown Rafting general manager Tim Barke used the Maori saying, quoted above, as a way of describing the loss of the immensely popular 62yearold.
He was the most experienced guide on the river, having rafted in the resort for more than three decades.
He had worked with Queenstown Rafting since 1996.
The company’s operations manager, Guido Leek, said: ‘‘Chief was just a legend. You can’t get more experienced than he was — especially on that river.
‘‘He was someone doing something he loved. He loved that river — he rafted yearround.’’
A statement from the company said he had navigated his raft through what was called the ‘‘Toilet’’ rapid, when it overturned, which it said was not unusual.
Passengers floated to shore, assisted by a safety kayak guide.
Mr Haare manoeuvred the raft to the riverbank and had just spoken to one of the guides, when he collapsed and was found unresponsive.
Despite immediate medical intervention by two highly trained guides, including use of the defibrillator carried on each trip, Mr Haare could not be resuscitated, the statement said.
Police last night said preliminary postmortem results indicated Mr Haare died from a medical event.
Mr Haare had been one of three guides accompanying 11 passengers on two rafts on a trip between Deep Creek, in Skippers Canyon, and Arthurs Point.
Operations have been suspended until further notice and a special tribute is planned.
Head rafting guide Michel Lepage said Mr Haare was so well known and loved in the rafting community that tributes had been coming in from all over the world.
‘‘You never saw Chief grumpy or having a bad day — he was always happy,’’ Mr Lepage said.
‘‘He kept on rafting time after time, day after day, year after year.
‘‘When we’d go through a busy period he’d be the first to offer to come in at the weekend.
‘‘He was always going out of his way for people. He added half an hour on to his day just picking guides up and dropping them off — that’s just Chief.’’
He said they would get customers coming into the office just to meet him.
‘‘He was such a legend in the industry.’’
Dozens of friends and colleagues paid tribute on social media. In an emotional post, his daughter said the family would miss him ‘‘every day’’.
‘‘Today we lost our handsome dad doing what he loves, on the Shotover River as a guide for Queenstown Rafting.’’
He was a muchloved dad, partner, grandfather and friend, the post read.
‘‘We will miss your guitar playing and long hair. You will be in heaven playing your guitar with the greats from your records since you were a young boy. We miss you already so much.’’
He dominated the pool tables at Harry’s bar in Queenstown.
Mr Leek said: ‘‘He didn’t drink, didn’t smoke and he was amazing at pool — we used to joke and call him the pool shark because he was just such a brilliant player.
‘‘He was also a fantastic musician. Chief would sit in the corner and play for us at lunch sometimes. We’d all just listen — he’d have that guitar humming.’’
Dunedin business owner Ian Lindsay, originally of Queenstown, posted a photo of Mr Haare on Facebook, with a one word comment: ‘‘LEGEND’’.
Dozens of other people who knew him personally, or rafted with him, posted words of tribute.
Queenstown Rafting would carry out its own investigation and WorkSafe New Zealand had been informed.