Mangatepopo canyoning disaster

Six students and a teacher from Elim College died in a flash flood while canyoning in the Mangatepopo Stream, Tongariro National Park.

Those killed were part of a 40-strong group from Auckland’s Elim Christian College participating in an outdoor adventure course at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC). The OPC later pleaded guilty to two charges laid by the Department of Labour in the aftermath of the tragedy. Central to the criticism levelled at the centre was its failure to act on a heavy rain warning issued for the area on the morning of the incident.

Image: the Mangatepopo Stream just below the dam. Photo by Sarah Ivey, NZ Herald