When Queenstown Lakes District Council harbourmaster Marty Black saw the kayak and paddle used by missing German kayaker 25-year-old Rene Weissange his heart sunk.

“It took me immediately to December last year when we lost two young Frenchman on Lake Wakatipu. In both cases the kayaks were grossly inappropriate for the conditions, it’s absolutely tragic,” Mr Black said.

The search for Mr Weissange, who went missing last Monday, has been stood down until Saturday.

The Coastguard and police did a shore, lake and aerial search using six boats and a helicopter yesterday morning with nothing found.

“It breaks your heart to see these young men with their lives in front of them lost because they have not been prepared for the conditions,’ Mr Black said.

Like the Frenchman conditions were calm in the morning when Mr Weissange set off to paddle across Lake Hawea and like the Frenchman a strong wind got up in the afternoon.

“Neither the police nor I know if this young man was wearing a lifejacket but I suspect that he was not. I do know that in my view his craft was not suitable for open water. There was no buoyancy and limited freeboard should conditions become rough,” Mr Black said. The paddle was also broken when it was recovered.

Mr Black is calling on Lakes District locals to “watch out” for visitors.

“Our waterways are stunning but in a very short window of time they can become deadly. Survival in these alpine lakes, particularly without the aid of a lifejacket comes down to minutes not hours,” Mr Black said.

There were some simple rules to stay safe that included wearing lifejackets, checking the weather and knowing your limits and the limits of any craft.

Meanwhile Mr Black acknowledged the huge effort that had gone into last week’s search.

“The Coastguard, the police, the Search and Rescue volunteers and friends who have put in excess of 200 hours to search,” he said.

ENDS
For further information please contact Marty Black 0274 345 289.

Picture attached: Courtesy Wanaka Police.

By: Andrea Bunting