A natural leader, strong in te reo Māori, and obsessed with diving, 15‑year‑old Karnin Petera should have returned home from a school trip to the Abbey Caves near Whangārei. He did not make it out alive.
Nearly three years on, a coroner’s inquest is now underway, with his parents recounting the hours leading up to his death and the questions they say remain unanswered.
“We trusted our son would be safe at school,” his mother, Alicia Toki, told a packed courtroom at the Whangārei District Court.
“We never want any other family to be in the same position as us.”
Karnin, known as Tino, died during a Whangārei Boys’ High School outdoor education trip in May 2023 after floodwaters surged through the cave system.
Heavy rain turned the stream running through the Abbey Caves into a torrent, trapping the group inside. Sixteen other boys and two adults managed to escape.
The court heard Karnin had expressed concerns about the weather before the trip went ahead.
“He didn’t feel like it was an informed decision for us. He was concerned about the weather, too.”
“He asked one hundred times.”
His mother said she encouraged him to trust his instincts.
“Listen to your feelings and don’t go in. We can deal with any troubles later.”
The family ultimately believed the school would make the right call.
As the rain worsened, Karnin’s father, Andre Petera, sent his son a message: “Don’t go into that stupid cave if you don’t want to.”
Tino replied simply: “K.”
Soon after, as word began to spread that the group was in trouble, Andre called the school office.
“I could tell by the tone of her voice that something was not right,” he told the coroner.
He then picked up Toki from work and drove towards the Abbey Caves, where families and media had gathered behind a police cordon.
Toki wiped away tears in the witness stand as she described the confirmation that came hours later from emergency services.
“We have found Karnin, but he is not alive.”
A WorkSafe investigation has already found multiple failures contributed to the teenager’s death and concluded the tragedy was preventable. In September 2024, the school’s board was ordered to pay $500,000.
The coroner’s inquest will examine how the trip's risks were managed, why it went ahead despite weather warnings, and what changes may be needed to prevent similar tragedies.
Other witnesses expected to give evidence include MetService and teachers from Whangārei Boys’ High School.
The hearing marks another chapter in the family’s search for accountability.
Karnin’s parents say they want to understand what mistakes were made by Whangārei Boys’ High School management in the lead‑up to the caving trip and have called for clear findings so other schools can learn from what happened.
They have also called for the Abbey Caves to be permanently closed to the public.
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