Rotorua hot pool death: Coroner rules Matthew Tuimaualuga died after accidental fall while intoxicated

Matthew Tuimaualuga had been drinking and smoking cannabis with two others around a boiling thermal pool in Rotorua when he slipped and fell to his death in the water, a coroner has ruled.

His death at the secluded and fenced-off hot pool off Froude St behind Rydges Hotel in Whakarewarewa nearly a year ago has now been confirmed by the coroner after an inquest, and ruled an accident.

The mysterious case of Tuimaualuga’s disappearance made headlines last year after police and other emergency services had difficulty determining whether a body was in the hot pool given the extreme heat of the water and the dangerous geothermal surroundings.

Matthew Tuimaualuga died after falling into a hot pool in Rotorua on February 13 2024.

The inquest was held in Wellington on December 6 before Coroner Ian Telford, details of which have now been released.

About Tuimaualuga

Tuimaualuga was 26, unemployed and lived at Cactus Jacks Backpackers in Rotorua.

Coroner Telford’s finding said his family was present at the inquest and his mother appeared via audio-visual link from Australia.

Coroner Telford said it was apparent Tuimaualuga was loved and respected. He was “always happy” particularly when he was around his family. He had a good attitude and was a hard worker but he found himself in and out of work during his life.

The coroner was told when he was out of work, he remained positive and was actively looking for a job.

What happened

On the night of February 12, Tuimaualuga’s partner drove him and two associates to a bank to withdraw money. She drove him to a bottle shop where he bought a box of beer, then dropped the three men at Kuirau Park.

In the early hours of February 13, Tuimaualuga was drinking at a bar in Rotorua but left about 2.30am. He and two other men, all of whom were intoxicated, walked to a thermal pool behind Rydges Hotel.

The pool is between 85C and 95C. They bypassed the fencing and warning signs not to enter and entered the thermal pool area where they sat drinking and smoking cannabis from a bong, the finding said.

Floral tributes at the side of the hot pool off Froude St. Photo / Andrew Warner

Coroner Telford noted Tuimaualuga’s partner had said during evidence Tuimaualuga would become particularly “wasted” if he combined alcohol and cannabis.

Coroner Telford said he inferred Tuimaualuga was “grossly intoxicated”.

As the group got up to leave, Tuimaualuga was seen by the two men to fall into the pool. He disappeared under the water making no sound. The men saw no sign of him and, after a time, went home.

They returned later in the day to search for Tuimaualuga before alerting police.

The evidence

Testing of the water showed evidence of human remains and DNA analysis matched samples taken from Tuimaualuga’s toothbrush.

Clothing and footwear found on top of the thermal pool were identified as belonging to Tuimaualuga and cross-referenced with CCTV footage.

Family members confirmed they hadn’t seen or heard from Tuimaualuga since his disappearance, and his bank accounts and social media accounts had not been touched.

Floral tributes at the side of the hot pool where Matthew Tuimaualuga died on February 13, 2024. Photo / Andrew Warner

The police hypothesised Tuimaualuga’s body had not resurfaced, but remained in the thermal pool.

It was their evidence at the inquest that recovery of any further human remains was impossible due to the volatility and hazardous nature of the natural environment. They have essentially exhausted all possible means to retrieve Tuimaualuga’s body.

Dr Simon Stables said it was his opinion remains were likely to have disintegrated over time largely due to the usual pH profile of thermal pools in Rotorua being highly acidic.

While Tuimaualuga’s family had asked for further DNA testing, Coroner Telford said he was sufficiently satisfied on the balance of probabilities based on pathological, DNA, witness, and police evidence that Tuimaualuga had died.

He found Tuimaualuga died shortly after falling into the thermal pool. It is likely he lost his balance because he was intoxicated combined with standing on very rough and uneven terrain, the finding said.

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Coroner Telford said based on Stables’ evidence, Tuimaualuga died within a couple of minutes. He would have become unconscious rapidly after falling into the pool and even if he had been rescued immediately, he would have still died.

“There was no chance of him surviving this accident.”

The cause of death was likely to be a fatal heart arrhythmia as a result of being in such hot water, or suffering burns to his airway and body.

“This is a very sad case and I can only offer again my condolences to Matthew’s family and friends including these good people who have gathered here today.”

Safety risk

At the time of the accident, the pool was surrounded by a fence and entry to it was restricted by a locked gate. There was a sign on the gate that said: “Do not enter”.

Entrance to the hot pool where Matthew Tuimaualuga died. Photo / Andrew Warner

This was due to the safety risks posed by the pool being an extremely hot open body of water surrounded by uneven and precarious ground.

Coroner Telford said he visited the site in August and noticed the custodians of the pool had renewed the fencing and removed the footing that the men almost certainly used to enter the site.

“Ultimately, I find that Matthew’s death was due to an unfortunate accident and can find no contributing factors other than Matthew and his associates entering the secured area in an intoxicated state.”

He found no evidential basis to make any recommendations.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.