A student who was part of yesterday morning's tragic Whangārei caving trip made a desperate dash to call for help after a schoolmate was swept away in floodwaters.
A Whangārei Boys' High School student died during an outdoor education and pursuits class that was hit by bad weather during a trip to the caves.
The class was made up of 15 Year 11 students and two adults, with 16 making it to safety. The boy's body was recovered last night.
A student, who wished to remain anonymous, told 1News the group had been in the Organ Cave "for around an hour" before they got into trouble.
"We were halfway through the cave when the water started coming at us. We floated back with the current to get out. It was really fast, like five minutes," he said.
She couldn’t believe the trip went ahead as bad weather loomed. (Source: 1News)
He said it took the group around 15 minutes to get to their location and "five minutes to get back" due to the strength of the current. He was unsure how the other boy was separated from the group.
With no reception, one of the students ran to get help from a concrete cutter who called 111.
The boy’s mother, who also wished to remain anonymous, told 1News her son is "doing well" after the tragic accident but "there's a lot to process about what has happened".
"We’re all really surprised there was only one fatality and that everyone else made it out. They all had to pull together to get out," she said.
"They had to hold on to each other. The boys acted very brave."
She said one of the teachers was "very brave" and "very heroic".
"He was the last one out of the cave."
The mother said she couldn’t "believe they went caving given the risk involved, the risk being the heavy rain".
She recounted how she told her son as she dropped him off that the trip would not be going ahead due to the downpour.
She later sent him a text telling his teacher to make sure the trip was cancelled, but was sent back a response saying, "I’ll be right".
"I regret not phoning the school and telling them but I really didn't feel in my mind they would go," she said.
"You'll just get swept away," caver Peter Crossley said. (Source: 1News)
The woman first found out about the students being stuck in the cave on Facebook.
"I phoned the school and got put through to the principal’s secretary and said: 'Please tell me you didn't send 15 boys caving in this weather'." She received no response.
During the phone call, she was told one of the students was unaccounted for.
"She couldn't tell me who it was; no one knew what kids were out, reception was out," she said.
It was "half an hour of terror" before they were told who the missing student was.
She said her husband was the first parent to arrive at the caves. He was able to get in contact with his son but was unable to make out what he was saying due to the poor reception.
She said her son described "a level of calmness" which washed over them after the incident.
Karen Gilbert-Smith said a comprehensive investigation into the tragedy is underway. (Source: 1News)
The mother described it as a "monumental mistake" to go caving.
"I can't even believe anyone goes caving when it's meant to be raining, to know they went angers me a lot."
She said all the students had been amateurs, adding that her son had gone caving once before but did not enjoy the experience.
The mother added that there was no permission slip to be signed for the trip as a catch-all form had been signed at the beginning of the year.
She was also unaware the students were initially meant to go rock climbing before the trip was changed to caving due to the weather.
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