Coroner Backs Safety Advice After Te Araroa Death

Media Release

The coroner has endorsed safety recommendations made by NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) following the tragic death last year of Czech tourist Petr Čech on Te Araroa Trail.

According to the coroner’s findings, which were released on 22 August, the 46-year-old drowned at Wairoa Gorge in Mount Richmond Forest Park sometime between 4 and 17 May 2023. MSC provided a report to Coroner Heather McKenzie as part of her inquiry, including recommendations on preventing future fatalities.

“We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Petr Čech, and welcome the coroner’s endorsement of our recommendations,” says MSC Chief Executive Mike Daisley.  

MSC recommends that solo trampers attempting the backcountry sections of Te Araroa have sufficient experience and well-developed skills, including for river crossings, and knowledge of New Zealand’s conditions and terrain. Additionally, MSC recommends walkers only attempt the trail within the period suggested by Te Araroa and should build enough flexibility into their trip planning to allow for delays beyond their control.

The section of the trail where Čech died is described as a challenging backcountry route including slippery, narrow sections and steep drop-offs as well as eight river crossings, with the potential for rivers to rise quickly during heavy rain.

It is not known whether Čech tripped and fell or if he was attempting to cross the flooded Wairoa River when he drowned. However, the coroner says that Čech appears to have put pressure on himself to complete the trail in a much shorter time than most trampers and that he did not significantly alter his plans to factor in bad weather or other events. There was heavy rain during the time Čech was in the Richmond area.

Te Araroa website has detailed information on when to walk the trail. It recommends that walkers finish no later than April and that the majority of the South Island should not be attempted between May and October due to snow, avalanches and heavy rain. 

MSC recommendations

• Solo tramping in back country terrain is not recommended for those without sufficient experience, well-developed skills and strong knowledge of NZ’s conditions and terrain.
• Te Araroa walkers should only attempt the trail in the seasonal window recommended by Te Araroa website and build enough flexibility into their trip planning to allow for weather-related delays.
• Trampers should be aware that advanced tramping tracks may involve walking on unformed, steep and rough tracks with unbridged stream and river crossings.
• Experience in assessing whether a river is safe to cross, and the skills to cross safely, are necessary for all Te Araroa walkers, as well as anyone tramping on tracks that have unbridged stream or river crossings.

All trampers, including other backcountry users, such as hunters and trail runners, should be intimately familiar with the signs of an unsafe river, which are: 

• Water moving faster than normal walking pace.
• Discoloured, cloudy, surging water.
• Visible debris in the river, such as tree branches.
• The sound of rolling boulders on the riverbed.

More information on river safety can be found here.