A 24-year-old man jumps 18m off Omanawa falls and is airlifted to hospital with a serious back injury.
An 18-year-old man is fined $750 after luging Highway 29 through the Kaimais.
A 32-year-old man boogie boards 11m down Huka Falls near Taupo - and escapes, apparently unharmed.
A 21-year-old woman
drowns in an area with signs warning against swimming beneath dam floodgates near Taupo, while three companions survive.
These four incidents - three capers and one preventable drowning - happened within the past two months.
Nearly every week, someone makes news risking or losing his/her life in pursuit of social media fame, recklessness or fun. The antics are senseless and sometimes, illegal. They rob families and friends of loved ones and cost taxpayers money due to first responders' efforts, police investigations and medical bills.
What's wrong with bungy jumping? Or surfing, mountain biking, paragliding, skydiving or myriad other ways we hurtle ourselves through air, sea and land. Yes, people get seriously hurt or die in those activities, just as they do while engaging in the most common, riskiest pursuit most of us undertake each day - driving.
We've agreed driving is necessary. We wrap it in rules, monitor participants and regulate equipment. We also teach children to swim and encourage everyone to stay between the flags, though we know people will drown each year (Water Safety New Zealand reported eight preventable drowning incidents in the Bay of Plenty last year: one female and seven males).
During calculated risks - swimming, white water rafting, mountain biking, hang gliding - we assess stimulation versus security. Still, tragic accidents happen, like when a mountain biker (believed to be about 60) died after falling 15m down a steep bank on Tuesday evening at Te Mata Peak in Hawke's Bay.
Our culture says mountain biking on publicly-accessible tracks is okay; jumping from a waterfall on land closed to the public is not. Pick your poison, carry an antidote, hope for the best. Shoot the rapids, but wear a life jacket. I once jumped to the beach from a 150m cliff in Oregon. I was sitting under a parachute behind a paragliding instructor. Cautious, yes. Lucky - that, too.
Paragliding or bungy jumping's beyond your budget? Try boogie boarding. Become a stuntman/woman. Or for real danger, trying wrestling your own feral children and the dog while simultaneously cooking dinner and weeding the garden.
Having children can change one's risk appetite.
It's unlikely a few phrases from a random mum will stop anyone seeking a thrill. Having parents say, "Don't you ever..." might even encourage risky behaviour. What could, however, make the difference between life and another preventable death is a good friend. Sure, the luger may hang with like-minded wanna-be YouTube stars - but what if one of them had sense to say "Travis, riding a luge cart through traffic down the Kaimais is stupid. You could kill yourself or cause someone else to crash. Don't do it."
I'm not discounting choice. Mr Luge should've known better. Surely, not all 18-year-olds join the cult of Bullet Proof. One of them could've Snapchatted Travis a word of warning.
Friends don't let friends kill themselves. Or risk other people's lives.
Studies have shown strong-willed friends can increase your self-control (Psychological Science, 2013); having fewer friends may make you prone to take more financial risks; and friends can greatly influence your choices (last two, Journal of Consumer Research, 2013).
Parents don't need scientific journals to know these things - they understand what can happen when Johnny Teenager hangs with a chain-smoking, booze-swilling crowd. And if you doubt peer pressure's power among adults, try abstaining from alcohol in a group of social drinkers (or functioning alcoholics) without producing an excuse, doctor's note or baby bump.
Personal responsibility counts. But when adrenaline or testosterone commandeers one's brain for a dangerous or illegal stunt, a good friend can be a lifesaver.
