The New Zealand ice hockey community is in mourning after one of its leading lights tragically drowned in the waters off Auckland’s west coast.
Police have named 33-year-old Dale Harrop as the man who drowned at Muriwai Beach on Saturday after a surfing accident.
The New Zealand Ice Blacks posted a tribute to social media, saying they were grieving for “one of our greatest”.
“As someone who embodied all it meant to be a great Ice Black, he leaves behind a legacy of sportsmanship, kindness and determination,” they wrote.
Harrop represented New Zealand at 10 world championships and had been an active member of the Ice Blacks since 2007.
They said his infectious smile and gregarious personality followed Harrop everywhere he went after he started out with Canterbury Red Devils in 2006.
After moving to Auckland, Harrop played with the West Auckland Admirals and was a “formidable force on and off the ice”.
“Your memory will live on through our sport. Rest in peace, forever our teammate.”
His family say Harrop will be “missed beyond words” by them and a “huge group of friends and family.”
A Givealittle page has been set up to help Harrop’s family cover the costs of bringing his body back to Christchurch and for funeral services in both cities.
Surf lifesavers have urged beachgoers to check the conditions before they enter the water this summer after Harrop’s tragic death.
Damien Molloy, the lifeguard convener for the Muriwai Surf Club, said lifesavers brought Harrop in to shore after he was was found unresponsive near Flat Rock, but he was unable to be revived.
Molloy said the conditions were “very difficult” though the surf was good, with the incident occurring on an incoming tide, with a northwest swell rolling in.
He said the swell normally came from the southwest and people often got caught out when it came from the northwest.
“The big message would be ‘know your conditions’. The conditions had changed from what they normally were. Most people don’t realise that, because they think that the swells are always the same.”
The drowning was the first of the summer at Muriwai and the first in some time while surf lifesaving patrols were in operation.
Molloy said these incidents were tough on the crews that responded.
He said those who attended were shaken up but had been offered peer support and were doing well.
“It’s just a tragic thing, your heart goes out to the family.”
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