21 Jul 2014

Kayaker killed in waterfall named

8:48 pm on 21 July 2014

Police have released the name of the man who died kayaking over a waterfall on Northland's Wairoa River.

He was Ladislav Svarc, a Czech national, who was living in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby.

The 29-year-old drowned when he went over the Wairua Falls on Saturday with three companions.

The kayakers were all wearing life-jackets, but Mr Svarc was trapped by the force of the water at the bottom of the falls and pulled under.

His companions pulled him out but couldn't revive him, despite performing CPR.