Deaths prompt Castle Rock ban
The deaths of two people at a popular climbing spot on the Coromandel Peninsula have prompted iwi to ban people from going there.
Nga¯ ti Huarere has imposed a ra¯ hui, a temporary ritual prohibition, on Motutere, also known as Castle Rock.
The ra¯hui was put on the site, which is about 6km from Coromandel township, after the death of American climber Lauren “Kimi” Worrell on August 19, and is to remain in place indefinitely.
A spokeswoman for Nga¯ ti Huarere, Wanda Brljevich, said the iwi was the legal owner of the 521m mountain and needed time to discuss the best way to manage it before allowing climbers back up.
In the meantime, the public is not to access the mountain via any of the 18 possible routes, Brljevich said.
“This mountain is private property and notice is given that any unauthorised access will be taken as trespassing,” she said. “Nga¯ti Huarere does not accept any responsibility for anyone accessing the site.”
Worrell, 28, died when she was preparing to descend from a rock face at Castle Rock.
Her family released a statement at the time warning climbers to be very careful about relying on equipment permanently fixed to rock faces.
This equipment would naturally be worn by being exposed to UV rays and other elements of nature, the family said.
Two months earlier the body of Shannon Earle Makowharemahihi was discovered in dense bush in the area around Castle Rock.
The 37-year-old Coromandel man was last seen on June 1 and his body was found by a search and rescue operation 23 days later.
Makowharemahihi was also a recreational climber and was very comfortable in the bush environment.
Both deaths are being investigated by the coroner.