Source: Radio New Zealand
Mount Taranaki. Christina Persico/RNZ
The coroner has found that the death of a man who was struck and killed by a falling boulder on Taranaki Maunga was accidental, but is reminding mountain climbers to take care to mitigate risks.
Christoph Heinrich Huelsmann died on 23 April 2023 aged 57.
The coroner has found his death to be was accidental resulting from blunt head injuries caused by impact from a falling boulder.
In his report Coroner Ian Telford said Huelsmann and his partner Esther Feldmann, who were experienced hikers, had hiked to the summit of Mount Taranaki earlier that day and were descending the mountain when the accident occurred.
“Around the same time as Mr Huelsmann and Ms Feldmann reached the scoria section of the summit track, a climber above them was making their descent from the rocky ridge, known as the ‘Lizard’. The climber was moving between rocks when they stepped on a large rock, approximately one metre in diameter, and it moved,” the report said
The report said when the climber stepped off the rock and it dislodged and began to roll down the mountain towards the trampers below.
“Ms Feldmann heard screaming and looked upwards. She saw other hikers above the rocks and several large rocks tumbling down the mountain at speed. One of the rocks was falling in the direction of Mr Huelsmann,”
“He started to run to avoid them but was struck in the back by one of the rocks causing him to fall down the mountain for about 20 metres.”
The Department of Conservation (DOC), the agency responsible for the national park and maintenance of the summit route, launched an investigation into the death in the form of a Learning Team process in 2023.
“The report noted that Taranaki Maunga is a very volatile environment with high rates of erosion. There have been many instances of rockfall and landslides on the mountain. The scoria slopes of the mountain were unstable in late April 2023.
“There had been a great deal of heavy rain in the prior few months and an early snowfall, all of which further destabilised the ground. It also rained heavily on the previous day, 22 April 2023.”
The report stated that the Mount Taranaki Summit Route was an advanced tramping track until Tahurangi Lodge and then an expert route from there to the summit, however the Learning Team Process group believed that the incident would have been difficult to prevent – a view shared by the Police Search and Rescue liaison officer.
However it was noted that there was little visitor information provided on rockfall risk at that time, and it was possible that signage or other visitor information on rockfalls could have heightened Mr Huelsmann’s awareness of the hazard.
DOC has since implemented a number of actions to provide information about the hazards on the summit route, both prior to visiting and on-site.
They include installing warning signs about rockfall at key danger points, updating the visitor website and brochure with rockfall danger points, and on the website also showing images that provide realistic depictions of the terrain and experience rather than marketing images.
“I do not consider that specific coronial recommendations are indicated, particularly as, in my view, this accident was not readily preventable,” Telford concluded the report.
But he said he remained mindful that deaths occur with some regularity in mountain environments.
“I therefore consider it important to highlight to all those using our mountains for recreational purposes, regardless of experience, of the importance of being familiar with the risks specific to their environment before setting off.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
