Man dies at Rainbow Falls

A 24-year-old man has died after getting into difficulties while swimming at Rainbow Falls in Kerikeri.

Emergency services rushed to the popular tourist spot off Waipapa Rd shortly after 2pm on Saturday but were unable to revive him.

Sergeant Dylan Robinson, of Mid North police, said the man, who lived in Auckland, had travelled to the Bay of Islands to spend the weekend with friends.

He was swimming in the pool at the bottom of the falls when he got into trouble.

After he was pulled from the water two passers-by gave him CPR for about 20 minutes until St John Ambulance arrived.

Medics, assisted by the Kerikeri Fire Brigade, continued CPR but could not revive him. He was pronounced dead about 2.55pm.

The death would be referred to the coroner, who would decide if a postmortem was needed to establish the cause of death.

A kaumatua blessed the scene later that afternoon. Details of any ra¯hui had yet to be confirmed at edition time.

The man is understood to be from Bangladesh but it is not known whether he was a permanent resident or visiting on a study visa. He has no family members in New Zealand. He had turned 24 four days earlier.