Schools rally around Elim after river deaths

A bus carrying students back from Tongariro National Park arrives at Elim Christian College yesterday. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

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Neighbouring schools have rallied around Elim Christian College after the canyoning tragedy that left six of the college's students and a teacher dead.

The group were swept away by a flash flood on the Mangatepopo River, in the Tongariro National Park, on Tuesday afternoon.

Sancta Maria school and St Kentigern College in Howick have offered counselling services to Elim students and St Kentigern teachers are also filling in for teachers overcome by grief.

Sancta Maria Principal Paul Daley said the school was giving moral support to their neighbours with staff members and the school's head boy and head girl having visited Elim yesterday.

"There would not have been a time where one school has been impacted in such a tragic way," Mr Daley said.

St Kentigern College executive head Warren Peat said its counselling staff had also been serving the students at Elim College.

"We have a number of staff who attend Elim Church and they are closely connected to some of the families as well," Mr Peat said.

He said some parents had also prepared morning tea for Elim staff.

Meanwhile, other schools at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits centre when the tragedy unfolded are counting their blessings their own students were not caught in the flash flood.

Waipukurau's Central Hawkes Bay College and Hamilton's Melville High School had played, eaten and bunked with Elim Christian College since Sunday.

Both schools send a group of students to Tongariro each year and have done so for many years.

The principals said their students were yet to do the canyoning part of the programme when their trip was cut short.

Melville's 16 Year 12 students and three staff arrived home on a bus to a warm reception yesterday morning. The school marae was open, and counsellors and senior staff comforted the students.

Principal Clive Hamill yesterday said an assembly would be held this morning for the whole school so the students could talk about the incident and ask questions.

"They're very pleased to be back with their families and the supportive community and really they're just shell-shocked."

He said the students had spent all Monday night doing activities with the Elim group.

"Our thoughts also go out to the centre staff, particularly to the broader Elim college community. It's a huge challenge that they're facing, and our thoughts and prayers and wishes are with them."

Central Hawkes Bay College principal Richard Schumacher was yet to meet the teacher who took 10 of his students on the trip so he would not say if the tragedy had put him off letting the school return to the centre next year.

The Hawkes Bay students - aged between 13 and 15 - also went home on a bus yesterday morning.

"It was a collective decision by all parties to bring them back," Mr Schumacher told the Herald.

"They're all back with their families and they're doing okay."

The school yesterday sent a message of sympathy to Elim on behalf of all its students and staff.

"It's a general message of sympathy and understanding, best wishes," Mr Schumacher said.

"Our thoughts are with the other school, their families and their community."

He said it was up to the individual families of his students as to when their children would return to school.

- With NZHERALD STAFF