Signs warning about the dangers of swimming and diving at Keeleys Landing are being constantly stolen by vandals. Photo / Sarah Ivey
Police divers are due to search Lake Karapiro today for the body of a young Hamilton man who failed to surface after jumping off a notoriously dangerous cliff on Sunday.
Jude Willem Esselbrugge, 20, and a friend had gone to Lake Karapiro, just south of Cambridge, in the
afternoon with their girlfriends.
As the girls watched, the two men jumped off the 15m cliff, known as Keeleys Landing, but only one surfaced from the water.
Shoreline searches yesterday failed to find any sign of Mr Esselbrugge, who is presumed to have become the fourth person killed after jumping from the cliff in the past 10 years.
Tim Lester, a friend speaking on behalf of Mr Esselbrugge's family, said he was a "good kid" who had worked as an apprentice furniture-maker for two years.
He enjoyed music, especially that of the band Tool, and hanging out with his mates. "He was just an ordinary kid trying to get on with his life."
Nearly two years ago to the day, British doctor John Fasham also died after jumping off the cliff. Signs warning of the danger had been stolen by vandals at the time.
After his death, the local council put up a new sign but it - and subsequent replacements - were stolen.
A sign with words and pictures warning of the danger was, however, believed to have been in place when Mr Esselbrugge and his friends visited.
In 2003, a 27-year-old Korean homestay student, Chang Ho Kim, jumped off the cliff, despite not being able to swim.
Other swimmers tried to help him by throwing a chillybin for him to grab hold of but he was unable to hang on to it and slipped beneath the water. It was several days before his body was found. At the time, police said he might have been held under the water in a deep hole that contained branches and debris.
Mr Lester said the Esselbrugge family were relying on their strong faith to help them through a difficult time as they waited at home for news from police and searchers.
Dangerous Spot
* Feb 2007: Jude Esselbrugge goes missing.
* Feb 2005: British doctor John Fasham dies.
* Dec 2003: Korean homestay student Chang Ho Kim dies.
* 1997: A 19-year-old man dies.
