Episode 10 Swept Away At Papanui Point Pt 1

We share Baz’s near-drowning at Papanui Point and the choices that brought him home. We unpack why survival hinged on calm thinking, and how rock fishing can be made safer without losing the sport we love.

• why west coast rock fishing is so risky
• how excitement overrode caution on a big swell
• stripping weight and back-floating to survive
• shock, survivor’s guilt, and mental health
• life jackets, lifebuoys, and tie-off anchor points
• solo missions vs taking a mate
• enforceable rules at known black spots
• closing access vs smarter safety upgrades
• expert context from Drowning Prevention Auckland and Waikato council

Transcript

A Day On The Rocks Turns Deadly

SPEAKER_03 0:00

So I was just fishing down on the rocks, but it was just probably I'm gonna go my cockiness if if that's the right word to use, because it was a pretty big swell that day and pretty gnarly current. And then I was winding it in, and all of a sudden my rod just went really fast, and I got really excited, and my mind of the all the conditions just went out the window, and I did everything on what not to do this day, respectfully possible. So I was fighting this fish, and it was starting to go around heading out to the point. So I thought it would be a good idea to stick close to like the little bit of a cliff face that there is, but on a high point, and I was whining in the fish, and then all I remember was a big bang.

Host Introduction And The Stakes

Baz’s Fishing Origins And Why He Fishes

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Welcome back to the NZSFC Pot and Reel Podcast. I'm Mike Plant from the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council. You've just heard from Baz, Baz isn't a public speaker, he's a fisherman, a bloke who went out for a normal day on the rocks and nearly never came home. For as long as I've been alive, 18 people have drowned at Papanui Point. Baz could have been number 19. By some miracle, he wasn't. In this episode, you'll hear how Baz was swept into the water, how he had lost all hope, and how he somehow found his way back to the rocks and to safety. His story puts a human face on a place Water Safety New Zealand calls a black spot. 18 people who never made it home to their families. Baz did. So let's meet Baz and hear what happened at Papua Nui Point that day. Everything went wrong.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

I'm originally from the South Island. Nelson grew up read down there in the South Island. And I was fishing with my um dad and my granddad on the in the marina there. And I was about, yeah, five, six catching little sprouts, and all of a sudden my granddad just hooked this big ass fish and it just started screaming. Yeah. It took him like, I'm gonna say, maybe 40 minutes to pull in, and all of a sudden this big shadow emerges from underneath the marina, and it's this big ass stingray. And I remember looking at the old man and telling him, I just want, that's me, I want to catch a big fish like that. And was trying for years and years and years to catch one, it never happened. I stopped fishing for a little while and then I think it was about 18. I bought my own little cheap rod and reel from the warehouse and then went down the beach. And then I started catching them, and that was it from me since just been experimenting all over the own New Zealand, just fishing off the rocks and the beaches, trying to catch me a PB fish, really.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

And so what's your reason for fishing?

Moving North And Chasing Big Fish

SPEAKER_03 2:51

So my two reasons for fishing now is it's really, really, really good for up here for a man, I believe. Well anyone in general, just to sketch reality, a bit of your time, and just think about life, you know, just have those conversations with you, and it's just a peaceful way of relaxing and of course to grab a feed. Nothing wrong with beautiful a bit of beautiful seafood eating. So um I moved up to the Waikado about two years ago to pursue a career in dairy farming. I originally started in a little town called Arapuni farming over there, and then me and my boss have decided to move, and we were up in the Manichino area, which is about 40-minute drive from Telpo. So you've only been doing dairy farming for a couple of years, eh? Yeah. Two years, and it's the best decision I've ever made with my life with dairy farming, man. I absolutely love it. I can't see me doing anything else now. But I'm on a roster where we do six days on, one off, and then normally that skits me a bit too much, and I normally just go on one of those days off and just deal with the tires of the next week and just get go for a bit of a fish.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

So, how did you get this knowledge and you know understanding of this these are good places to go for a fish?

Finding Papanui Point And West Coast Reality

SPEAKER_03 4:01

So I've been gre I grew up watching like dice and fishing show, fishing events, all of those fishing shows you find on YouTube, Facebook, TV, all my life. And I just see them pretty much tell the general ride there, and then I jump on Google Images and uh search along the coastline and make sure there's a rope to get there and give it a go. And that's how I found out where Papua Nui Point was. So I had no idea about that spot and how dangerous it was until I originally got there, standing at the car park, and I'm like looking at myself and I feel pretty like an experienced fisherman and 'cause I grew up on the fishing boats all my life, like fishing for tallies, sea lords, all of them for a few years. So I I do understand how and respect how gnarly the ocean can get, because seeing on some waves bigger than power pole some days, especially when we're well past um chatham islands there. Yeah, you see it on a beautiful day and as a kid you think, yeah, the waves don't get that big, and then all of a sudden you're out in the middle of the ocean and the bows, and all of a sudden you instead of walking up a set of like ten stairs or something, it's only just one step.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

Yeah, yeah, no, that movement out there is something, you know, solid. So you're on the west for those listening who, you know, don't know this area of New Zealand, it's um kind of out from Hamilton on the west coast, south of Raglan, and yeah, the West Coast. Some say it's the best coast, but it is gnarly, eh? Like the power of those swells is is so strong.

Close Calls And Growing Ambition

SPEAKER_03 5:32

Oh, the whole of the west coast ranging from all the way down for Jordan, all the way up. Is it the 90 male beach on the west coast there too? All the way up there is some of the ruggedest, gnarliest bit of the coastland you'll find. I truly believe that's coming from someone who's fished all around New Zealand on the deep sea boats. The west coast is always the roughest by quite a bit, I believe. So before my accident I had, I probably fisted it about six times. My first time going there, I just tucked out a bait and I hooked the biggest kawhi. And I winded it in there, probably about four meters from the surface. Big kingfish came out of nowhere and just smoked my cowhai and it managed to hook itself out like not an ideal set and just spoil me. And from that day on I just spent all my money on getting me quality gear, trying to catch me a kingfish, and yeah, just try to go down that road and try to catch me a kingfish, and then I think it was the fourth time being there. It was a I did a bit of a night mission there, camped out in the car park and that and um it's about three o'clock in the morning because there's a little bit of a point where it's kinda sheltered from the swell there, but it's safeable to fish in most conditions. Well most. And you're about to find out I was managed to hook on and I say about a 10 pound snapper, and this is my first time actual like having a big fish that's not caught in a net. Caught myself just holding it like this, and I was like, I'm hooked for life, man. And I've just been pounding that spot and then this one day having because I use um fishing that's just a bit of just you know, when you go for a bit of shit for life, you go fishing. So to be honest with you, what I've always done every time I go to like the West Coast or any type of fishing spot, I always tell at least three people where I'm going, just for safety reasons and when I'm due back. So I told my bosses where I was going, I told my mum where I was going, and I also told my partner where I was going and what time I'm expected to be. Like, so if I'm not back by this time, yeah, I'm in trouble, sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02 7:45

And so when you go fishing, are you doing it by yourself because you don't have other people to go with, or you like doing it by yourself because it's your thing and you don't have to wait on anyone else? What's what's your thinking there?

SPEAKER_03 7:56

To be honest with you, I love taking other people fishing, but there's one time I was just having a bad day, just had run of lucky withdrawal, and just wanted to go by myself for a little bit. And then I arrived there and I was like, this is a bit gnarly there's probably five, six meter swells just cruising, smashing on the on the beach, and I passed up in the car park, had a coffee and stuff like that, and just watching the swell for ages, and noticed the tide was slowly starting to go like out because it was high tide when I arrived there. And I was watching this one spot where I thought it was fishable for a good 45 minutes to an hour, and no swell came across, nothing like that. You know, but I think it's safe and my gut was telling me it was safe. Nothing in my gut, because I'm a true believer if if your gut doesn't believe with it, don't do it. And I wasn't getting that feeling in my tummy, so I went down there, went for a bit of a fish. Things are going good, yeah, waves are smashing across the rocks and stuff, but I still managed to get a rod and a rail out and catch a little snap of this big, so I was pretty chuffled myself, pretty happy. Then it would have been about 32 centimetres.

Safety Habits And Going Alone

SPEAKER_02 9:08

So you're thinking, hey, I've seen it at the highest point, so the water's gonna be retracting out. I I'm sweet to go. That's that's your thinking, eh?

SPEAKER_03 9:15

Because I also live if you're on protection on the ocean, respect it. So, like what I mean by that is like every time you go fishing, take home all your rubbish, take everything you bring to the spot, you take it home with you. Never take too much soil, so you don't be greedy. If there's a like a fish batch look, my limit for me is anything over 30 maximum of like five fish, depending if I want to feed the farm or just myself. Like, you know, if that makes sense. But I'll tell you what, I've been through some shit in my life, and this is definitely the most scariest one out of them all, and definitely made me think differently about life and how lucky I am to just even wake up every morning, sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

So what happened at that moment, mate? Can you talk us through it so that you know people can understand how it happens?

Conditions, Gut Checks, And The Setup

The Hook-Up And The Rogue Wave

Stripping Weight And Staying Calm

Back-Floating To Survive

SPEAKER_03 10:04

So I was just fishing down on the rocks, and I came, like I was explaining earlier, sussed the area out and found a nice and nice little safe, what I thought was safe. I wouldn't recommend anyone going down there sort of thing in those conditions. But it was just probably I'm gonna go my cockiness if if that's the right word to use, probably just humbled me that day. And I remember standing on the rock and my rod was just going like this, and I wasn't too sure if it was the swell or the um or the current because it was a pretty big swell that day, and pretty gnarly current, and you're about to find out. And then I was swinding it in, and all of a sudden my rod just went like really fast, and I got really excited, and my mind of the the all the conditions just went out the window, and I did everything on what not to do this day. I like to put it in the most respectful way possible. So I was finding this fish and it was starting to go around heading out to the point, so I thought it would be a good idea to stick close to like the little bit of a cliff face that there is, but on a high point, and I was winding in the fish, and then all I remember was a big bam. So I'm pretty sure a big swell came over the top on the other side of the paper point, came over the top of it, and came down and swept me out to sea, and with there's no warning, nothing. It just happened within a blink with an eye sort of thing. Standing and I remember it took me about 10 seconds to realise what had happened, and I'm like, oh, from in the water and I'm going that way. I think within about 30 seconds I was at a hundred meters out to sea, and I I saw explained to you what I was wearing. It was coming on to winter, if not winter time, and I was wearing my gum boots, big fat oily hunting and fishing pants, and one of my big hunting and fishing like jackets to keep me warm. And low life jacket, boost safety, water protection, thing like that. And then I just remember thinking I started sinking, and I was like, oh, my gum boots are on, and I managed to like because I always get a size a little bit too big for my feet, so I think that actually played off. So I managed to make my feet go on a bit of a point, and with the suction what was causing, my gum boots just slid off just like that, like so quickly. I was so lucky, and then I ripped off my jacket, I ripped off my pants, I ripped off everything, so I realized the weight of the water was actually pulling me down and sucking me under, and the current was also dragging me to sea. And I just remember thinking to myself, the first thing that I thought was, oh, I'm in trouble. And the thing I actually gave myself a big pat on the back from that moment, I didn't panic. I was like I came with acceptance of what just happened there, if there made sense. So I already knew the pot what the end result is of a scenario like that, because there are warning signs out there, and that's something I forgot to touch point. There are a few warning signs and the risks of drowning, and that there has been a few fatalities there. So I would like to touch on a little bit after my story with you on that one. But yeah, I remember doing that and I tried swimming. I couldn't swim then. The current was just so strong, I just keep going out to sea. But I was lucky the waves are so big that it was kind of washing me back to swallow. So I was swimming like this and I realized I'm going lower for anything, I'm going backwards. So I rolled onto my back and I called it like I call it squitting me. So when you land your back, you just go like this. I just land on my back and I just looked up and I just started squitting back. And then I thought to myself and my brain was telling me it's like, you know, this could be it. And then because I started hearing this inner voice, which is really weird. I didn't really understand what it means until I watched this um little documentary on it about when you're going through like I'll explain all the rock climbers. So when you go through a life-threatening like situation, you hear like this inner voice, it's like a third person, and they just tell you what to do. Like, you know who this voice is, but you can't see them. This one happened to d hap and I remember thinking to myself, this might be it. And I was like, you know what? Nah, not today. And I just stayed on my back, and then all of a sudden, I was like, oh, I get the feeling of relief because I started going closer to an end because of the waves. It was going like this with the current going out, but the waves were pushing me like that, but also making me go like that at the same time. And then after all, it's hard to say. I like to say anywhere from five to ten minutes, but it could have been like two minutes. Who knows? It felt like a lifetime I was in that water for. And then I eventually managed to like touch the rocks, and I was like, had a big sigh of relief and I did another dumb decision, which I should not have done. I just stood there and ah, made it out of it. Then another rogueleg came over and knocked me back into the water. And I think there might have been a few sinkers too that um in the rocks. So I ended up when I finally managed to get out of the water, I ended up with a sand sinker all the way through the middle of my finger, poking out there, got like a little bit of a hole from it. It's pretty healed up now because it's only like a millimeter thick. But man, I lipped that, that, ripped out that, and then my dumb ass, so when my dumb ass finally got out of the water, man, I looked at it and I'm like to stitch it, and I just went, wow. And then I was stalling adrenaline, still running, I was still in shock, and my dumbass thought about throwing throwing another reel back out, but I didn't. It crossed my mind and I was like, the fish are just starting to bite, and then I was like, nah, I'm going home back to safety, and I packed up and it's about half an hour drive from the extra spot until you get into Sow Range. And then I started like, it's all normal, and then I come to where all the tourists and they do the little walk. I can't remember what their walk is on the gravel road as you get in there, and then there was kind of a bit of a car jam, and I just stopped. And then that's when it really hit me, and I really freaked out, like, and I just went in complete shock when I seen people for the first time. And to be honest, I broke down and I started crying. And the first thing I wanted was my damn mum out of all people. I'm 28 years old, and the first thing I wanted after experience like that was my damn mum.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

Bro, that that's a gnarly story, and like thank you so much for sharing that. You saw it was big, you saw it was gnarly, but you're driven there, you're taken, you know, it's your day off work, it's your one chance out of six days a week to get there. Do you think that pushed you over the limit to commit to it? Because you've done that drive. Do you think there's a bit of that?

Climbing Out, Shock, And Aftermath

SPEAKER_03 17:04

I honestly, so I've thought about this question to myself a few times, and I only got one answer to that one. I normally would have actually turned that down to be honest with you, meaning like no, or gone into Rariton Harbour and fished off the walker at a little bit nicer conditions. But I think is the fact that I was going through quite a bit of like really tough shit in my life at the time that actually driven me to making that that decision of going down there's because the fact I'm a bit of an individual person, introvert sort of thing, as my friends didn't call me. I like to be by myself and just do me. And I think that's all I can put it down to because I've been asked that question, because I did a little interview for the NZ Herald and met with that too, and they um asked me the same question. I just put it down to just that mental frame, really, man. And it's the feeling of being able to knowing that there's that slightest chance of catching that big fish and then coming home and have actual like shine off with all your friends and your mates, your cat and all having a feed together. That's also half the other half of the reason, you know, why we like to do these sorts of things.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

You go through this and what got struck me was you did what 95% of other people don't do when they fall in the water, and that's you didn't panic, and you said that. What why do you think you didn't panic and you didn't go the way of most people and just start freaking out, get a high heart rate, start scrambling, and then you know, can can you see how quickly that could have been over for you if you reacted differently?

Why He Didn’t Panic

Making Rock Fishing Safer

SPEAKER_03 18:36

I honestly like people and probably not gonna like this answer, but I'm just gonna be really truthful and honest. I think I honestly, because I thought about it so many times, I put it down to acceptance. So I think I accepted that this could be it here. Like, if that makes sense, like I just accepted it for it for what it is, been like this could be the end of me, sort of thing. Like, I know that's not the best way to thinking, but the more I think about it is that might have been the reason why I've stayed in calm, or I've just watched that many fishing videos and videos like that, it just came to me naturally because although I like Matt Watson and all of them, they their YouTube videos are actually really educational for fishermen. Like I actually put it out there, like they do a really fantastic job of like explaining the dangers of it and also showing the fun side of it as well. And that's what I really enjoy about like those sorts of videos, is like I also put it down to them that those videos also help teach me on what to do as well. Like they don't go into so much like the drowning side in, but they go into the side of like the rock safety and the conditions of the water and on what to do in the scenario like that. So there's actually a few things I truly believe while we can make it safer down at Papanoy Point, is a lot of fishermen ain't gonna agree with me, but we're gonna we're gonna find out where the five most dangerous spots in New Zealand are. Because I know there's spots in the South Island and there's spots in the North Island. We're gonna make up mandatory life jackets at those spots. I truly believe, like, yeah, because look at me, I fit consider myself an experienced fisherman, and I don't think it happened would happen to me, but look, it happened to me, man, and it humbled me to the T. That one. Another point too, number two, is getting making mandatory life jackets. So getting like, is it the math man that patrols by the coastlines and his love? Issuing tickets to people, like issuing tickets for not wearing your life jackets at like these five spots, for example. And then the money we get from those tickets can be funding to make spots safer, for example, or to go to the Coast Guards and stuff like that. Number two is I truly believe we need to put some sort of life rings down there. Like for me that day, a life ring would have been useless because I was all by myself, and that's why I liked water really saying if you're going fishing, even if you have a bad day, take a mate. Come on, take a mate with you. Like, don't don't be a bad thing, go by yourself, sort of thing.

SPEAKER_02 21:16

Yeah, I think when you're in that headset, the last thing you want to do is have someone else because you're feeling it all internal about yourself. But to be honest, like if a mate came to you and said, Bro, I'm I'm having a shit time, do you want to come fishing? I think everyone will would say, Yeah, yeah, let's do it, right? Take the day off work or whatever, I'll do it.

Lock It Or Fix It: Hard Choices

SPEAKER_03 21:35

That's something as a as a man, too, is we we do struggle to actually reach out to our peers and talk to about it. Like, and that's something we've got to actually express ourselves, you know, like making it okay, be like, hey mate, wanna come fishing, I'm having a bad day, sort of thing. Line time, and you'll be surprised what your mate's answer will be. Be like, yeah, mate, let's go, or I've got work, but we can go at five o'clock tonight, sort of thing. That doesn't make it. net more and then the other thing I've actually been highly thinking about is with our with the life jackets I've noticed there's a lot of tie off points too. So down in Peppernoy Point, I truly believe that we're gonna somehow talk to the council. You might be a better person than me to get in contact with the council is making anchor points. So you know a rock climbers how you got your anchor points you can tie yourself off to why don't we make some anchor points down the spot so we can tie ourselves onto a rock and if we get in trouble providing we have a life jacket on, we can just pull ourselves back into safety.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

Like I know that there's gonna be times and if we do go down this path there'll be a bit of experiment a bit of experiment it could work it couldn't work because we all know how powerful the ocean is so the landowners and Doc, you know there's um Manafenewa who own the land Doc also have a part of the land as well they're thinking look like the Manafenoa sick of laying Rahui for dead bodies and they're like we the best thing we can do is just lock it off, block it, not let anyone through what is your thoughts on that and you know what would you do if it was locked off do you would you go somewhere else that's dangerous that's not locked off you know because my concern is you lock one place off and people find somewhere that we don't even know about that's even more dangerous to get to that nobody knows. You know you're just pushing the problem out of your backyard somewhere else.

Survivor’s Guilt And Mental Health

Life Jackets, Gear, And Culture Shift

SPEAKER_03 23:24

So I actually completely agree with the whole blocking it off and how they're sick of putting on that is it a Rahui? Rahoey yeah sorry my bad I actually completely because it must be must be so hard to go tell the family they've been like hey hey such and such is not here with us anymore. It must be so hard being that person delivering that news to the family so I respect I respect what the why they want to block it off and I agree with it but you're right there's just we're just gonna find a more another most dangerous spot. So my question is for you Ryan is how how can we make fishing more safer? Do we bring in mandatory life jackets? Do we bring in more tile points do we give it in like do we bring in the fines for not wearing life jackets? How are we gonna make it clear to you that um safety is very important and my reality is for me is if I ended up going that day no one would have located me until the next lot of fishermen turned up they could have been the next day or it could have been a week later because I knew the conditions were pretty ship for the next couple of weeks so I could not have got located until my boss turned up to my house and been like why isn't bears at work so that was a bit of a reality eventually the police would have found it and they would have they would have eventually found me. I don't know if they I don't think they would have recovered my body I'd be honest with you because there's been a few cases of um of why um people's body hasn't come back. That's also another factor I want to get into with you man. It's the mental health side of um of the events of this so I shared my story to try and prevent a lot of drownings and to give people the open their eyes up being like hey here's a bit of an experience I wouldn't say on like Matt Watson's level or anything like that. An experience enough to go catch a feed and come home off the rock sort of thing. It's the mental health side of things so one thing I've really been struggling with is there's been three recorded deaths since I and it's the mental health side of that for me is because I keep thinking like I heard some of the conditions and like my conditions are really rough that day if not similar if not rougher and my thing for me is how did I survive but they didn't and the one that really hit home for me was it was a young 20 year old that passed away with rest in peace young fella I'm sorry to your family for your loss and we're trying to head it up so it doesn't happen to other families but it's like how come he didn't survive but I survived that's the mind game that really gets me and what scares me about it and it's still it's still in my mind to this day I think about it. I can literally close my eyes right now and I can relive what I went through which is pretty damn scary.

SPEAKER_02 26:15

Yeah bro I don't know if you've had a chance to talk to someone professionally about this if anyone's offered that but that's always something that's available because there's things called like survivor's guilt where you survive an event and you think why why do I deserve to get through it and some other dude doesn't you know and like that's a real that's exactly how I feel man and that's what actually played marvels with my mind like I had a bit of a cry to my partner about that and broke down to him how can I survive by he didn't survive I wish it was me because this big being an older person I wish it was me that didn't come and he survived sort of thing because he's got his whole life he'd have been sort of thing you know yeah bros that's a real thing to feel so you're not unique or weird or anything for for feeling that because that's a common feeling to have but you couldn't do anything there for him and just like he couldn't do anything there for you even though you feel that and that's a real feeling you shouldn't let that like it's good to let it out and especially having a partner that's mean as well like if you're by yourself with no partner it's even harder you know so you lean on that support network that structure of family friends girlfriend whatever it will be to help you through that stuff so it sounds like you've got a solid lady there to it.

SPEAKER_03 27:30

Yeah I do.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

She'd a pretty good one I'm pretty blessed. Some of the stuff we're seeing is with life jackets like the inflatable life jacket I'm just saying I don't have my own hair but you know the one with the canister and stuff.

Expert Voices And Local Context

SPEAKER_03 27:41

I'll show you my one I finally got um what's the word I'm looking for I got one um donated to me from drowning Auckland Drowning Prevention Prevention. You can still cast you can still move around freely it's not heavy and the one thing I like about it's got waterproof pockets on it too so you can keep your phone in it as well and your tackle and I like the fact that it's got these tie-off points too even though the handles are you can actually they're strong enough to use those tie off points by ankle points. So that's one feature I really love about these um black jackets and I'm highly thankful that the people that donated that to me. I'm really thankful for that and I'll tell you what between me and you I went bite baiting on my lot on the last day of the season even though I was in the creek only about this deep I'm still really scared of water man. I wore that so I had this fella when I was white baiting he's like why the hell are you wearing a life jacket and he kind of bullying me about it and I didn't take offense Connor I'm like mate if you had what happened to me you'd be w doing the same thing and I told him my story and he actually came back half an hour later with a bear and we had a bear and he shook my hand and he's like I'm sorry mate for giving a ship but I understand now and I actually felt pretty good about myself while actually haven't taken my time out of what I didn't have a conversation with him about it. And I think it may have changed his look about um how we see the water too because I think we need to make it known on how dangerous it really the water really can be to to educate us about it. It's just the fact that I've been brought up on the deep sea fishing boats and I know how nasty it can get, especially down the Ross Sea and all of those places, the Pacific, Tasman Especially when the T oceans collide with each other when you get the Tasman and the Pacific when there's some pretty bit of money water. You've never been as scared as you were at Papua Nui Point It's the most scariest time I've ever had in the water with the water was at Papua Nui Point. How I see it that day was to me the more I think about it is Mother Nature did not want no fishermen. She just wanted to just be left alone to do her thing and I obviously didn't get that memo sort of thing and yeah I got spat right out which is very very lucky man.

What Happens Next

SPEAKER_00 30:05

That was Baz talking us through how that day unfolded and how he ended up in the water at Papua Nui Point Shooto I'm Josh Carmini I'm an aquatic safety researcher at Drowning Prevention Auckland El Tro. Been with Drowning Prevention Auckland now for four and a half years unfortunately yeah have have been involved picking up the pieces in many of these cases um and and seeing how it goes wrong. Also Mad Keen Fisher on the rocks, on the boat, anything and on and around the water absolutely loves.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

My name's Glenn Morgan I'm what they call the Open Spaces Services manager for Waikito District Council. What does that mean? It means I support the team who deliver on the maintenance and management of all our parks and reserves across the Waikero District. Papanoy Point is effectively located between Fangaroa Raglan and Rua Puki Beach. It's a coastal outcrop there it's very steep it's very challenging to get down there's informal tracks to the site there's a long history of recreational fishing at the site but there's also a deeper um history to the past and I suppose early um early establishment of local Hapu and Iwi toy fenua at the site as well and there's a deep history there as well. So yeah she's a very challenging spot but it is a spot that enables people to get very close to the fishing and the rocks and whatever activities they want to take.

SPEAKER_02 31:35

In the next episode of the NZSFC Pod and Rail podcast we'll shift the focus to what happens next we'll be joined by Glenn Morgan Open Spaces Services Manager for the Waikato District Council and talk about what's being done to prevent further drownings at this notorious stretch of coast. Baz survived others did not the question is now how do we stop adding names to that list