Decision to return to river proves fatal

A man who made a fatal decision to jump back into a swollen river to join his rafting mates should have remained on terra firma, says coroner Dr Wallace Bain.

Dr Bain's comments came at the end of an inquest in Whakatane on Thursday into the death of Terry Wayne Mason, of Taupo.

Sergeant Denis Foster said in evidence Mr Mason had just been introduced to hunting and rafting by Graeme Arden, a man who had rafted the Motu River for 18 years.

On October 11 Mr Mason, Mr Arden and his wife, Kylie, Stephen Moncur and a team of hunting dogs had begun a rafting and hunting trip on the Motu River, with the intention of finishing up at the Motu Bridge on State Highway 35 six days later.

On October 15 the group had tried to get over a rapid and all, except Mrs Arden, were tipped into the water. Mr Mason had not been able to hold on to the raft and, shortly after, was seen on an embankment.

He had tried to get back to the raft, which was only one of two metres away, by jumping back into the river. Instead he had passed under the raft and was last seen floating down stream in the deliberate body position to negotiate rapids; on his back, facing downstream, his arms folded in front of his chest and his legs tucked up ready to push off any obstacle the river pushed him towards.

The crew were not able to find Mr Mason and immediately paddled out to raise the alarm.

Mr Foster said river conditions at the time were about 650cu m per second, about four times the normal run.

Mr Mason's body was found on October 16, about 10km downstream from the rapids.

Dr Bain asked Mr Foster if it was correct Mr Mason had re-entered the water.

Mr Foster confirmed it was and said it was a tragedy Mr Mason had not taken the time to walk 100m to a beach area where the raft could have come ashore.

A pathologist found Mr Mason's death was consistent with fresh-water drowning. Dr Bain said it had been an unfortunate decision on Mr Mason's part to go back into the water.

"If you get chucked out of a raft and end up on a bank, stay there," Dr Bain said.