Karnin Petera identified as student who died after caving trip went wrong in New Zealand
The New Zealand student who tragically died in a cave has been identified as heartbroken family and friends demand answers as to why the school trip went ahead despite the warning of heavy rains in the region.
Karnin Petera, 15, was part of a group from Whangārei Boys’ High School who traveled to Abbey Caves, 90 miles north of Auckland, on Tuesday for an outdoor educational excursion.
The group of 15 students and two staff members got into trouble in the caves, and Karnin slipped from a classmate’s grasp after being swept away in rising floodwaters while trying to flee.
Everyone else on the school trip managed to survive.
His body was retrieved from the caves hours later in an incident eerily similar to the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand five years ago.
Karnin was identified by a shattered family on social media on Thursday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from friends and Whangārei Boys’ High School.
“It is with deep sadness that we wish to inform you that our beautiful boy Karnin Ahorangi Petera has indeed tragically passed away during the unfortunate incident at the Abbey Caves,” a family member wrote online.
The student who died after being swept away by floodwaters in a cave during a school field trip has been identified as Karnin Petera (pictured)
‘He now lies in state in his house surrounded by all his whanau and friends. Whanau are all welcome, nau mai haere Mai.
“We also want to welcome everyone from the community who also loved our little boy and pay their respects.”
The message ended with a request to the media to respect their privacy.
Scotty Booth withdrew his teenage son from the field trip at the last minute after receiving no response from the school on Monday night asking if the trip would go ahead despite warnings of bad weather.
“I was concerned about the safety of the trip when we received an email saying they would be doing caving instead of rock climbing because of the predicted rain,” Mr. Booth told Stuff.
“I’m a helicopter pilot and I know danger when I see it and there’s no good reason to go into a cave during heavy rain,” he said.
‘The school should have known better, there was only one teacher and an instructor. There should not have been a fatal accident on a school trip. It could have been my son.’
A student, who wished to remain anonymous, told TVNZ that the group had been in the cave for an hour when they ran into trouble.
‘We were halfway through the cave when the water started to come towards us. We float back with the current to get out. It was really fast, about five minutes,” he said.
Scotty Booth stopped his son from going to the fatal Abbey Caves after asking the school if they would continue in the rain
It took the group 15 minutes to reach their location in the cave when they first arrived that morning, and “five minutes to get back” due to the strength of the current.
The mother of another boy on the trip claimed police told students not to answer their phones because anxious parents called to check on their safety after the school said they would respond by email.
“I just wanted to know if my son was alive or not. It’s worth more than a damn email. You think they have the decency to call parents, not email them,’ said the upset mother.
Her son hailed their teacher as “a hero” for getting him to safety as the water in the cave rose from waist to neck height within minutes.
“Twice he thought he was going to die. He called his teacher a hero. He tried to climb up (out of the water) and felt his strength go and the teacher gave him a push,” the woman added.
The school board has since issued a statement as questions have been raised about why the school trip went ahead in the rain.
“It is with great sadness that I learn of the tragic passing of Karnin Ahorangi Petera following the incident at Abbey Caves on Tuesday. We extend our sincere condolences to his whānau,” wrote board member Andrew Carvell.
“Karnin was a dear and much-loved son, a brother, a friend to so many, and an inspiration to fellow Year 11 students at Whangārei Boys High School.
“As curators and parents, we share the pain this event has caused. We will continue to support whānau, staff, students and our WBHS community to assist in the healing process.”
‘We have established a care plan to monitor the well-being of all students and staff, prioritizing those most affected by the event.
Karnin Petera was visiting Abbey Caves (pictured) in New Zealand’s Northlands region when he was swept away by rising tidewater
Karnin’s shattered friends have paid tribute in a series of TikTok videos.
“Fly high churnin,” was a caption.
Another mate wrote: Even though we are not blood brothers. To me you will always be mine, we will all miss your smile, your jokes and how kind you were, I love you Karnin fly high king.’
A online fundraisingr has already raised $NZ70,000 forward funeral expenses and ongoing family support.
Questions are being asked why the outdoor educational tour to Abbey Caves (pictured) went ahead in bad weather
The tragedy unfolded 90 miles north of Auckland (pictured) on the same day a city-wide state of emergency was declared
Storms have battered much of New Zealand’s North Island in recent days.
New Zealand’s MetService had issued severe thunderstorm warnings in parts of Auckland and Northland on Tuesday, around the time Karnin was wiped out in the cave.
A state of emergency was declared in Auckland after flash floods wreaked havoc in the city.
More than 120 properties sustained flood damage, along with 300 emergency calls.
Storms also ripped the roofs off several homes in the South Taranaki town of Awatuna on Wednesday.
WorkSafe has launched an investigation into the teen’s death.
The police are also investigating.
“We recognize that this event has been deeply distressing to the school and the wider community, and that there are a number of questions on the part of the public,” said Police Superintendent Tony Hill.
“We don’t want to cause people more stress than necessary — for many people, these events will be difficult to relive.”
“At the moment, the focus of the police is on supporting those affected.”
Headmaster Karen Gilbert-Smith said an investigation has been launched into the “deeply disturbing” incident.
“Over time, we will try to understand how this situation came about, but for now, I ask that we remain united as a WBHS community and provide support where needed,” she wrote in a Facebook post that drew hundreds of angry comments.
The Whangārei district council, which manages the caves, said a rāhui was present and the caves would be temporarily closed.
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said this was not the result anyone wanted, but returning the boy’s body to his family to say goodbye would not have been achieved so quickly without the efforts of many people.
“I support the words of the hapū, who said that this is a time for manaaki and take care of everyone, especially the family, his peers and the school community,” he said.
Storms have battered much of New Zealand’s North Island, including flash flooding in Auckland (pictured)