Charges have been laid over a fatal accident that saw a British backpacker fall to her death after losing control of a quad bike during a tour group visit to Waitomo.
Police and the Department of Labour investigated the death of Sarah Katie Bond, 24, who was taking in the
sights and sounds of the Waikato countryside as part of a Kiwi Experience group in August last year.
She lost control of the quad bike she had hired from Waitomo Big Red Ltd and tumbled 50 metres down a steep bank on the Te Anga farm, 30km west of Waitomo Caves.
Ms Bond suffered fatal injuries when the quad bike landed on top of her. Emergency services took almost four hours to retrieve her body because of the difficult terrain.
Waitomo Big Red will next month defend two charges laid by the Department of Labour in the Te Kuiti District Court over her death.
One charge under the Health and Safety in Employment Act relates to the duty of people who control a workplace to take all practicable steps to ensure that people are not harmed. The second charge under the Machinery Act relates to the operation of an amusement device.
The adventure company has been run by father-and-daughter team Bill and Sarah Johnston for more than 10 years.
Mr Johnston declined to comment before the court case.
Ms Bond died just two weeks into a planned 10-month solo journey around New Zealand and Australia and was described by her mother as "one of life's enthusiasts".
"She was so excited about this trip, she was so full of life," her mother, Elizabeth, told the Daily Mail shortly after the accident.
