Searchers recover two bodies from popular swimming holes

The bodies of two men missing in popular rural swimming holes in South Auckland were recovered yesterday by search crews.

The body of a man in his 20s was retrieved from Hunua Falls after a search which lasted nearly 24 hours.

The body was recovered by a police dive squad yesterday afternoon. The man was reported missing after being swept into the waterfall around 3pm on Sunday.

Land Search and Rescue and the police Eagle helicopter were also involved in the search while the falls area was cordoned off.

Police said the man’s next of kin were being notified and the death has been referred to the Coroner.

The body of another swimmer was found at Maketu waterfall near Ramarama yesterday morning.

The man, aged in his 50s, failed to surface after going underwater in the swimming hole, off Pratts Rd, around 4.50pm on Sunday.

Hunua Falls is 30m high and the pool beneath almost 20m deep, featuring a steep dropoff where many swimmers have got into difficulty.

In some places, the bottom of the pool drops dramatically and without warning.

In 2016, two teenagers died at the popular swimming spot in separate incidents, prompting calls for Auckland Council to restrict access.

Peter Lemalu, 17, and Lilatoni Vetemotu, 13, died at the falls within days of each other.

Their deaths resulted in a plea for Auckland Council to close the swimming hole, but that was unsuccessful.

While there are no known deaths at the Maketu waterfall, a woman was rescued early this month after falling down it. The woman, in her 20s, was winched out of the pool by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter on January 6.

She suffered “multiple injuries” during the fall and was flown to Middlemore Hospital in a moderate condition.