An avoidable tragedy

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 45, 1 May 1984, Page 1

An avoidable tragedy

"A tragedy that with even a little foresight and commonsense could have been so easily avoided" is how Constable Marty Sutherland of the Ohakune police has described tj^^eath on Easter Sunday of a old New Plymouth Dennis Plagge. Mr Plagge was staying at the Youth Hostel in Ohakune over the Easter Weekend and had made tentative enquiries there about the possibility of tramping on Mount Ruapehu. He did not, however, fill out an intention sheet at the Ranger Station. The Hostel authorities noticed his absence on Sunday night and reported him missing the following afternoon. A search for the missing man began early on Tuesday morning with a helicopter from Wanganui Aero Work and two rangers assisting the police. The body was found at 3.45pm at the 8,000 feet mark on the mountain and had apparently fallen almost 1,000 feet before coming to rest on a rock. According to police, Mr Plagge 's body had lain there since Sunday. His body was airlifted from the mountain to the Ranger Station and was taken from

there to the mortuary at Raetihi. Constable Sutherland stressed the need for trampers intending to climb the mountain to firstly dress sensibly, secondly to travel in pairs and thirdly to repo^t to the Ranger Station prior to leaving in order to inform authorities of their planned movements. Mr' Plagge had apparently not been dressed in clothes suitable for the conditions, and had informed no one of his intentions.