Safety call over fatal climbing spot
Wānaka woman Neeve Byrne broke her back, ankle and wrist in a fall at the same Queenstown crags where a climber died last week.
Byrne, now 28, needed an operation to fuse her spine after falling around 30 metres from Leonardo's Wall, overlooking the Matakauri Park walkway, off Gorge Road.
She's calling for greater awareness of the dangers of the steep drop offs there, and believes some signs should be put up to remind climbers.
"I'd hiked up to the bottom of Leonardo's Wall and there's a really steep drop right behind you, but you can't really tell because there's a quite a lot of bush in that area," she says.
"I hadn't started climbing yet and I looked up at the rock we were about to climb, took a step back, and there was nothing behind me."
Byrne fell about five metres through the air and 25 metres "bashing off rocks".
"And yeah, I broke my back. I had to have a spinal fusion, from T11 to L3 vertebrae fused. I had my ankle reconstructed with metal, and have some pins in my wrist as well."
Despite the life-changing injuries from the accident, which hospitalised her for two months, she considers herself relatively lucky.
"I'm lucky I survived and that I can walk because it was a massive break," she says. "If you look at the X-ray, it almost looks as if my spine was snapped in half. I still have nerve damage, I have to be careful about lifting, and I can't run anymore, but I can still do lots of things, and can go on multi-day hikes, which was my main thing beforehand."
Police and emergency services, including Hato Hone St John and the Wakatipu Alpine Cliff Rescue, were called again to the popular climbing spot, near downtown Queenstown, around midday on Wednesday, 21 August, last week.
Queenstown Police Senior Sergeant Steve Watt confirmed a male climber died after falling about 50m. His next of kin were being contacted and no further details about his identity were available as the LWB went to press. The matter has been referred to the Coroner.
Byrne says her thoughts are with the man's family and friends. She hopes, whatever the circumstances, both incidents prompt others to take extra care, "take a breath and check their surroundings" even when close to town.
"I think this area needs some more signs. There are steep drop offs before you've even clipped in to climb. My partner, who was with me that day, is a really experienced climber and he wasn't aware of the drop off, and really blames himself, even though he shouldn't. Ultimately, everyone's safety is their own responsibility, and my story is a reminder that you need to be extra cautious whether at a dangerous spot in the back country, or somewhere like this."
Queenstown Climbing Club committee member and climbing guidebook author Guillaume Charton says the local climbing fraternity is in shock about the tragedy.
"We will be awaiting the outcome of the Coroner’s inquest to know just what happened,” he says. "We enjoy climbing in this beautiful area and to hear this makes us very sad. We feel deeply for this person’s family and friends."
He says the terrain in the Queenstown Lakes Central Otago area can be challenging and climbers and people exploring the outdoors always need to take every precaution, especially around cliffs and bluffs.
* Additional reporting Sue Fea
