Far North District Council to make sure Peria road where cousins died in swimming hole tragedy is safe

Far North District Council will work with police and other agencies to make Fern Flat Rd, in Peria, safe after the deaths of two young cousins in a tragic accident at a swimming hole on the road.

The cousin Sonny, aged 6 from Perth, and cousin Eddie, 4, from Auckland, died after a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) accident in Peria, Far North, on December 29. A GoFundMe page to raise money to get the two boys home and pay associated costs is approaching $90,000.

The two boys were exploring their grandmother’s farm with other whānau members when the accident happened. The UTV they were travelling in crashed into a boulder, careering the vehicle into an 11-metre deep water hole at Waikainga Stream where no safety barriers were in place. Police recovered them following day and a rāhui is in place at the stream.

Sonny, left, aged 6 and cousin Eddie, 4, died after an UTV accident in Peria, Far North, on December 29. Photo / GoFundMe

The area is a popular swimming hole, with a rural gravel road running alongside it. There is a 6m sheer drop off the road into the water.

A source close to the family told NZME that the vehicle involved in the crash was a multi-seat vehicle and not a regular ATV (all-terrain vehicle) quad bike as has been reported.

The boys’ grandmother posted on social media that Fern Flat Rd has become very dangerous in some places, and the accident site is one of them, the popular swimming hole in the Waikainga River.

‘’It is a narrow strip of road on one side a Rock face on the other side the road is bordered by a 5 metre drop into the river and the pool is 11 metres deep. A safety barrier could have gone a long way to mitigating the outcome of this accident. My thanks to Moko Tepania Mayor of the Far North for his offers of support for the Peria area, the best support we could have is a proper Vehicle Crash Barrier installed at the Waikaianga Pool, and safer roads for our Whānau, look forward to discussing this further with the Mayor.’’

In response Mayor Moko Tepania, Deputy Mayor Kelly Stratford and fellow councillors said they are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of two treasured mokopuna on Fern Flat Rd.

‘’This terrible event has deeply impacted whānau on both sides of the Tasman, and we want to share our condolences and aroha with those families in Peria and Perth. The council will assist the police and its accident scene investigators as they determine exactly what happened. It is crucial right now that we give that process space to run its course,’’ Tepania said.

‘’Our on-call roading staff will take direction from the police on any immediate measures they feel are required to ensure that Fern Flat Rd is safe. We will also undertake our own investigation. This is our normal process following fatal accidents on district roads.’’

He said for now, the priority is to support the boys’ whānau during this very difficult time.

‘’Whānau in Western Australia face extra logistical and financial hurdles to bring their boy home and have set up a gofundme page. We urge all those wishing to support the families to visit that page. We have also received a request to meet with the boys’ family. We will confirm with representatives of the whānau an appropriate time to have that meeting.

‘’This tragic event underlines the need for all manuhiri joining us over the holiday break to take extra care when enjoying our district.’’

The Gofundme page is at www.gofundme.com/f/sonny-eddie-tragically-taken-too-soon and so far has raised more than $87,000.