"It was an accident waiting to happen and no one did anything. We have seen rocks fall in that place before. Over the years it has got worse."
This from Pohangina River local, 81-year-old Justice of the Peace Bob Passey, after the cliff collapse which killed three children.
Passey said there had been indications that the popular picnic spot at Totara Reserve, 32km from Palmerston North, was dangerous. "I'm not the only one - everybody has been worried. In hindsight we should have banded together and done something," he said.
Last night the Manawatu District Council accepted responsibility for the cliff which collapsed, taking the lives of Callum Langley, 10, and his sister Keryn, 8, of Palmerston North, and 13-year-old Michael Liengme of Feilding.
At a meeting tomorrow the council will consider closing the recreation spot permanently. It will discuss ordering a specialist's report. Totara Reserve, managed since 1989 by the council, has been a popular place for families to swim and picnic. Two weeks ago residents learned that the Horizons Regional Council would take responsibility for the funding and management of the area, but the handover had yet to be finalised.
Lorraine Vincent, the district council community group services manager, said none of the council's cliff tops had ever been investigated by geotechnical engineers.
Specialists spoken to by the Herald on Sunday say it would cost at least $20,000 to study the cliff.
Horizons council chairman Garry Murfitt said "unless there is large amounts of money, bashing the cliffs down is impossible".
Andre Mazur, manager of geotechnical investigations at drilling company Boart Longyear, said: "It is not realistic to think councils should manage the moisture content of all landforms on a regular basis."
