Sixty more signs going up after hot pool death

A further 60 signs like this one are being erected at Rotorua's Kuirau Park. Photo / Daily Post

More signs will be installed at Rotorua's Kuirau Park as a safety measure following the death of a 10-year-old boy last week.

Rotorua District Council parks and recreation manager Garry Page said there would be 50 extra danger signs throughout the tourist attraction and 10 more at the entranceways.

An investigation is under way by the council into how safety measures can be improved following the death of Toromon Toromon, of Hamilton, after he fell into one of the hotpools and had to be pulled out by his older brother on Boxing Day. The boy suffered severe burns and died in Middlemore Hospital last Thursday.

Mr Page said installation of the signs would begin tomorrow.

"We already have various other signs scattered around the park and along the perimeter, but we're certainly going to beef it up. Literally millions of visitors have visited Kuirau Park over the years and we estimate over 250,000 people walk through the area to view the hot water and mud pools every year."

He said the Boxing Day tragedy was the first child fatality he could recall in Kuirau Park during his 30 years with the council, but the boy's death had caused the council to take a closer look at safety signs as an additional precaution.

The council is also investigating whether different or higher fences would further minimise the risk to park users.

Mr Page said it appeared, from a witness statement, that the boy had climbed over a barrier wall around a small hot pool and somehow fallen into the hot water.

"We're not sure, at this stage, whether higher fences would necessarily deter any determined, active and unsupervised youngster from climbing, but it's [something] we are looking at.

"We're also conscious that, if visibility is reduced as a result of higher fences being installed, human nature dictates more people will climb these fences to get a better view."

He said it was a matter of getting the right balance between safety and access.

"With fencing, signage and the ever-present steam, it is hard to imagine that anyone visiting the area would not be aware of the ... dangers.

"The existing safety measures appear to have proved adequate for many years to date."

The new signs will be written in English, but some will also carry a picture of a person with a line though it to indicate a no-walking area. Toromon's family are from Kiribati and reportedly do not speak much English.

Mr Page said the Rotorua district contained "hundreds, if not thousands," of hot spots with similar geothermal activity. These include roadside areas, golf courses, Department of Conservation land, private geothermal parks and lakes and rivers.

"While most of these locations are publicly accessible, it is simply not practical to fence them all." Hamilton's Rob Burgess visited the park yesterday with his wife and three children aged 2, 6 and 7.

"We don't let the kids out of our sight here. We do this for our own peace of mind, but we realise it can be dangerous around the pools."

He said the area could do with more signs but the ultimate responsibility lay with the parents.

Auckland's Sushil Reddy agreed.

"This is the fifth time we've been here and we're always mindful to be careful around the pools.

"My children know to stay near their parents and we've seen the warning signs. We just make sure that we keep an eye on them."