A witness has described the “heartbreaking” scene after a person died at a popular Western Bay of Plenty swimming hole on Wednesday.

Te Puna woman Jody Stevens told the Bay of Plenty Times she understood a man in his 20s died after jumping off a rock at the Pori Pori swimming hole.

She said the man was with his partner at the swimming hole near Poripori Rd, Wairoa River in Lower Kaimai.

“She didn’t want to leave the spot without him. She broke down in front of me – my heart just broke for her.”

She said people came to the site to support the man’s whanau in their grief.

Stevens said she had faced multiple water tragedies in her life and was speaking out to emphasise the importance of water safety, particularly as summer begins.

Stevens said she arrived at the swimming hole just after the incident happened at about 6pm with her two daughters, son, her nephew, and her daughter’s boyfriend.

She had been to the swimming hole before and knew there were big rocks people jumped off.

Stevens described the area as “beautiful” and said the water was “nice and cold and deep where they were jumping”.

She understood members of the public had started giving him CPR on the rocks before emergency services arrived.

Stevens said emergency services were “so onto it”.

“They had to take all their gears across all this terrain to get to this boy. They were marvellous.”

She said her nephew and daughter’s boyfriend helped emergency services get their equipment across the river.

A helicopter at the scene of the Wairoa River near Poripori Rd, Lower Kaimai, after a person died in a water-related incident.Stevens said the incident was “heartbreaking”.

‘So much water tragedy’

Stevens said she had “so much water tragedy in my life”.

Her 2-year-old sister drowned in a swimming pool at home in 1991 when Stevens was 14.

Stevens also grew up with Tauranga father Reon Wikeepa who drowned trying to save his daughter swimming in Mount Maunganui in November 2022.

Wednesday’s tragedy meant her grief from her personal experiences came “flooding back”.

“You just feel so wholeheartedly for these people that are going through this tragedy that’s unfolding in front of your eyes.

“There was a lot of feelings that I had and emotions that I had towards these people.”

She wanted to spread awareness about the importance of water safety at the start of summer.

“Check the water before you jump. It’s one of the most important things when you’re at a watering hole and you want to jump off a rock.

“The weather that we’re having – it’s bringing everybody to the water holes.”

Emergency services responded to a “water-related incident” in the Wairoa River near Poripori Rd, Lower Kaimai, about 6.15pm on Wednesday.

Police this morning said a person had been pulled unresponsive from the water. First aid was started but the person died at the scene.

The death will be referred to the coroner.

A Ngāti Hangarau spokesperson said a rāhui had been put in place by their kaumatua for two weeks effective from Thursday.
A karakia had been done at the site.

• This story has been updated.

-Bay of Plenty Times