The Hunua Falls is a popular destination with many people visiting this beautiful spot over the summer. However, despite its beauty the Hunua Falls are also dangerous, it is one of NZ’s deadliest waterfalls and not suitable for swimming.

We worked with Water Safety New Zealand, Drowning Prevention Auckland, and Auckland Council to deliver a water safety project at the Hunua Falls over the 2020-2021 summer period.

Funding from Four Winds Foundation, Franklin Local Board, and Water Safety New Zealand - enabled us to station water safety staff from YMCA Camp Adair at the falls over the busy summer period to prevent drownings, raise awareness about water safety, and collect data about visitor behaviour and water safety.

This was the second year the water safety project has been delivered and our water safety advisors noticed that visitors to the falls engaged in less risky behaviour this summer e.g. climbing slippery rocks, or jumping into the water.

We are also happy to report that over the summer season there were no drownings, emergency services call-outs, or situations where the angel ring needed to be used. This is a fantastic result for a waterfall that has been a site of tragedy too many times in the past.
Thank you to our funders and partner organisations for coming together to keep Aucklander’s safe in and around the water.

Below is an image of our water safety station at Hunua Falls.