Toddler dies during her first swim

Lifeguards were unable to revive Nylah Faamanu Vau. Photo / Supplied

A 2-year-old girl drowned at one of Auckland's top tourist attractions yesterday - despite lifeguards being on patrol.

Nylah Faamanu Vau, of Manurewa, was found in a 1.6m pool at the Waiwera Thermal Resort north of Orewa about 12.45pm. Lifeguards entered the water but were unable to resuscitate her.

Nylah was one of two people to die in the region, prompting fresh concern about New Zealand's water safety record.

The other was a 52-year-old man who died last night while swimming at a remote stretch of Muriwai Beach, north of the west coast township.

A 4-year-old girl was reported missing last night after falling into a river in Moerewa, Northland.

Last night, members of the Vau extended family gathered at the home of Suene Vau, a church minister in Manurewa.

Wiping away tears, Nylah's mother Tee Vau said it was the first time her daughter had been swimming.

"I turned my back for a moment and she was gone. She'd fallen in the deep end. It was her first time ever swimming. I was always against taking her to the pools."

Tee said Nylah's 4-year-old brother Afa Ginuel was waking up and calling out for his sister.

"It's going to be a nightmare for him because he saw everything."

She said there were no fences around the pool and called for safety improvements at the resort. "If they had fences my daughter would still be alive."

Nylah was the fourth preschooler to drown this year, half the annual average.

Her father Manu pleaded with other parents to be vigilant around water. "Look out for your young ones. We don't want other parents to have to go through what what we are experiencing.

"She got pulled out by a lifeguard but it was too late. We do blame ourselves for not being there when she drowned."

At Muriwai, a member of the public raised the alarm about 7.45pm when the swimmer went missing. After a search by surf lifeguards and the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter he was found in shallow water about 15 minutes later. Lifeguards performed CPR but it was too late.

Both deaths have been referred to the coroner.

The Department of Labour is investigating the death at Waiwera, where at least five others have died since 1981.

One was Justize Jade Dayberg, who drowned in 2002. His mother, Isobel Dayberg, of Albany, was sickened to hear of another preschooler drowning there.

"I know what that family is going through. It shouldn't have happened again, especially when they have spent millions doing up those pools. They should be safer," she said.

The resort, which attracts more than 350,000 visitors a year, remained open despite Nylah's death, surprising customers who were not told about the tragedy.

Pam Corby visited with her grandchildren and was shocked to hear a young girl had died. "It doesn't make you feel good. You'd think they'd close the place."

Jonathan Bell-Booth of Pt Chevalier said there were many Maori and Pacific Island visitors who had certain beliefs about death. "They believe that if a person dies you don't go to that place because it's tapu.

"If they had known a death had taken place there they may have chosen not to go there out of respect."

No one from the resort would comment. General manager Dixon McIver, who managed kickboxing champion Ray Sefo, did not return calls to his cellphone and staff refused to provide an alternative number.

Francis Martin, advisor to the Auckland Council's local board, said officials would look into the resort's lifeguard-to-swimmer ratios. He, too, was surprised the pools had stayed open.

"I would have thought it would have been a bit of a sombre occasion."

Water Safety New Zealand spokesman Matt Claridge said the resort was not part of the ACC PoolSafe Quality Management Scheme. Pools signed up to the scheme are required to have independent assessments in accordance with industry standards developed by the New Zealand Recreation Association and Water Safety New Zealand.

Claridge said pools not part of the scheme were not inspected and were "electing to work outside industry standards and guidelines".

"We don't know what they're offering in supervision or what expectation they place on parents or what information they give parents."

Nylah's drowning comes five years after Huntly coroner Bob McDermott demanded the Government give "urgent attention" to passing legislation to force all public pools to belong to the "poolsafe regime".

Nineteen people drowned in January, 22 per cent of the 2010 total. Yesterday's deaths bring the number in February to at least three.