Top chef in bridge fall

The harbour bridge has no safety barriers to prevent people jumping. Photo / Chris Skelton

A high-profile cafe owner is fighting for his life after falling from Auckland Harbour Bridge in front of horrified ferry passengers.

The popular and well-known chef, who has cooked for dignitaries such as Prince William, was pulled unconscious from the water by the crew of a Fullers Ferry.

Last night he was in critical care in Auckland City Hospital suffering from multiple broken bones, internal injuries and fluid on the lungs.

Shocked family and friends waited for updates on his condition as he underwent operations to stabilise his injuries.

His fall has raised questions about why Auckland Harbour Bridge has no screens to stop people falling from it or jumping.

A staff member at his cafe said "We are all shocked because he is a really lovely guy. This is really hard for everybody because it is still so fresh ..."

The restaurateur, who is married with one child, is well known and respected in Auckland cafe kitchens and the hospitality industry.

During three years overseas he cooked for Prince William during time spent at an embassy in Turkey.

The man's mother said she had no idea what caused the incident. "We are shell-shocked, to say the least."

He had worked as a chef in various cafes before he started his own business, a friend and fellow cafe owner said.

The industry was extremely competitive and tough. "We are a bit like clowns ... it is an industry where we stand in the ring and try to make people laugh. What sometimes looks like success can be full of challenges. It is not an easy industry to work in."

He said he and others in Auckland's restaurant industry were "very, very sad" at the news.

Passengers on the Fullers Ferry, including tourists off the cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas, had just watched a bungy jump off the bridge when the man fell from further along.

Crew members pulled him from the water and administered first aid while the ferry returned to the city terminal and a waiting ambulance.

Police watched the recovery using a CCTV motorway camera which was pointed towards the water.

Police Inspector Dave Walker said Auckland's Grafton Bridge had barriers to prevent people from falling from it, but the Harbour Bridge did not.

A New Zealand Transport Agency spokesman said the bridge had no pedestrian access and the installation and effectiveness of safety screens to stop people jumping needed to be "reasonably balanced against the main role of the bridge as a transport link."

Yesterday the chef's sister said her brother was "one in a million and we are very blessed to have him.

"We adore him."