Two men fall off cliff near arts festival site
TWOpeople have fallen down a Manawatu¯ cliff in two days.
A man fell 100 metres down a cliff near a popular campsite at Vinegar Hill yesterday – just one day after a man received serious injuries falling 70 metres at the same spot.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said the second man fell at around 7.20am yesterday and firefighters were able to reach him and winch him out by a rescue helicopter.
The man was in a serious condition, he said.
A police spokeswoman said both men fell after jumping fences outside the boundary of the official entrance road to the Kiwiburn Festival.
‘‘Police are monitoring the event and have spoken with the organiser regarding the incidents. As a result additional boundary tape has been put up and we understand that the event’s security staff will be implementing roving patrols in the vicinity of where the two incidents occurred to deter avoid further incidents.’’
Yesterday’s fall was seen by Whanganui resident Gail Cebic, a camper at Vinegar Hill.
‘‘It looked too small to be a person. A quarter of an hour later an ambulance came.’’
Another woman camping further down called emergency services, Cebic said.
‘‘I could see him sitting down on the other side. He sat up but he wasn’t talking.’’
Cebic also saw the man who fell on Friday morning stuck in the bushes. ‘‘He was there yelling for help. It’s a long way to fall. I’m amazed they survived.’’
Cebic heard the men were trying to get back in to the Kiwiburn Festival as the gates closed at midnight.
The fall on Friday happened about 2am.
A statement from the the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter service said the man fell down a vertical cliff, stopping short of plunging into the Rangitı¯kei River at the Vinegar Hill Reserve, off State Highway 54 near Hunterville.
A statement from Kiwiburn said neither incident occurred on the festival site but Kiwiburn had installed warning signs and danger tape, and moved the gate security team forward by 500m.
‘‘The roadway is fully fenced. The accident area is approximately one kilometre from the site. Kiwiburn is able to confirm the person injured earlier this week had a valid ticket for the event.’’