Mind the cliff: selfies get silly
Signs, a barrier and even a ranger are not enough to stop hordes of selfie-taking tourists vying for that perfect holiday snap.
Each year more than 100,000 people visit Dunedin’s Tunnel Beach, with the area popular for its dramatic cliffs, windswept vistas and isolated beach reached by a tunnel carved out in the 1870s. But the photo opportunities come at a cost.
In 2018, a German backpacker broke her leg on a cliff edge and narrowly avoided a 20-metre drop. Her injuries prompted a dramatic rescue. The area was too windy for a helicopter so a dozen firefighters rescued her.
A month after the incident, the Department of Conservation put up a 120m barrier, an addition to the 22m-long barrier already on site. DOC acting coastal Otago operations manager Craig Wilson said a new sign at the entrance to the track warned of significant fall hazards. Another 10 warning signs along the barrier at 10m spaces were also installed.
And another sign went on the entrance to the tunnel, built 150 years ago, warning of wave and tidal hazards and slippery surfaces. But visitors seem oblivious. On Sunday dozens of tourists were spotted climbing over the ankle-high barriers to take selfies by the dramatic cliffs.
A search on Instagram reveals hundreds of similar selfies and photographs, including some people doing handstands and yoga poses near the edge where the backpacker fell.
Wilson said people were ultimately responsible for their own safety. ‘‘Our recommendation is for people to ... stay behind the barriers.
‘‘When people venture beyond the barriers, it encourages other visitors to do the same and ... it could put rescuers in a dangerous position.’’