Second landslide could be fatal
Permanent closure of the Cape Kidnappers beach has been ruled out, despite a report finding that another landslide there could kill people.
South Korean tourist Jungho Son and a friend were seriously injured in a slip on January 23. Speaking after the event, Son said he thought he was going to die. The beach has been closed since the landslide.
Hastings District Council commissioned a report, released yesterday, which said permanently closing the beach through a bylaw should be ruled out, because of insufficient information to justify the decision.
This is despite the report, which is being presented to the council on Tuesday, admitting there is ‘‘potential for multiple injuries/fatalities’’ in the event of another landslide.
Council officers said a Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) should be completed to assess the fatality risk for the area, as well as the remainder of the beach between Clifton and Cape Kidnappers. This was estimated to take six months to complete, at an estimated cost of up to $300,000. Officers would pursue a costsharing arrangement with other parties, including the Department of Conservation (DOC), to ‘‘reduce the burden’’ on ratepayers.
DOC, which operates the walk, is undertaking a review of its Great Walks and Day Hikes. This needed to be completed before starting the QRA, the report said.
A DOC spokeswoman said it wouldn’t comment prior to the council’s consideration of the report, and until it had completed its own investigation.
Hastings district councillor and former owner of Gannet Beach Adventures, Rod Heaps, said there was ‘‘no advantage’’ to closing the beach while undertaking a risk assessment.
‘‘There’s no real added value, because [DOC] can put control measures in place advising those who don’t know about the area of the risks that may be there ... having a risk assessment done is not going to stop Mother Nature.’’
DOC was in ‘‘damage control’’ over ‘‘not consulting with anybody’’ about the risks the walk posed and how it should address them before promoting the area as a tourist attraction, Heaps said.
‘‘[DOC’s review] is definitely an overthe-top reaction of not doing your job properly in the first place.’’
DOC heritage and visitors director Steve Taylor said its signs at the Clifton entrance alerted walkers to risks, including a warning of falling rock and not to rest below the cliffs.
‘‘We take visitor safety extremely seriously, which is why we’re undertaking the investigation. DOC has to achieve a balance in managing visitors’ safety across the land and waters it is responsible for.’’
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the council would consider all perspectives when making a decision on the national tourist attraction.