
The Department of Conservation has made sweeping safety upgrades to a popular Fiordland walking track after the tragic death of a young girl.
Ten-year-old Tegan Chen died after slipping into the fast-flowing Marian Creek in the Fiordland National Park while on holiday with her family last year.
Tegan and her family were visiting New Zealand from Australia when, on January 25, 2024, when the tragic accident occurred.
鈥淭egan鈥檚 tragic fall into the fast-flowing waters of Marian Creek was witnessed by her close family members,鈥 Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale wrote in findings released today.
鈥淚t was an accidental slip, during a happy family journey, which had appalling consequences.鈥
Coroner Borrowdale wrote that Tegan, a 鈥渧ery active and happy girl鈥 who 鈥渓oved horse riding, dancing, and performing鈥, was visiting New Zealand from Lindfield, New South Wales, with her parents, two older brothers and extended family.
Tegan Chen (centre) and her brothers Zac and Luke and parents Adrian Chen and Deb Fung, took a Milford Sound cruise the day before her death.
On the day of the incident, the family had disembarked from an overnight Milford Sound cruise and stopped at the Lake Marian Falls Track.
It was a sunny summer morning, and someone had recommended the walk to them.
The track is considered an easy 20-minute forest walk and is frequented by tourists for its scenic beauty, Coroner Borrowdale wrote.
Tegan Chen was 10 years old when the New South Wales girl died while on holiday in New Zealand.
The family reached the end of a cantilevered boardwalk, known as the Upper Gantry, which leads directly on to a smooth rocky outcrop beside Marian Creek.
Coroner Borrowdale said that despite the name, the creek was a powerful alpine river and she would refer to it as so.
A Chen family photograph depicting the Upper Gantry and rocky outcrop.
According to the coroner鈥檚 report, the children, including Tegan, moved ahead on to the rocks.
鈥淭egan and her brother Luke were squatting near the edge, while Zac stood further back. Their father, Adrian Chen, was standing only metres away,鈥 the report says.
鈥淎s Adrian watched, Tegan went to stand up, slipped, and fell into the river.鈥
As she was swept downstream, Adrian Chen ran alongside, shouting to his daughter to grab something.
Tegan briefly clung to a rock and raised herself up, but was quickly swept away.
A tree-planting dedication for Tegan Chen at her school, with parents Adrian Chen and Deb Fung.
She was found 420m downstream, unresponsive at a logjam.
CPR was administered by bystanders and a doctor flown in by helicopter, but she could not be revived.
A post-mortem conducted by pathologist Dr Michael Dray confirmed the cause of death as drowning, with injuries 鈥渃onsistent with being tumbled in a rocky river鈥.
While the Department of Conservation (DoC) had previously assessed the track in 2018, the rocky outcrop and river were not flagged as hazards.
The coroner noted that although the DoC did not encourage access to the outcrop, 鈥渢here was no formal track end to discourage visitors from wandering, and the platform could have been inviting to visitors, including as a natural 鈥榮tage鈥 for photographs鈥.
The DoC extended its 鈥渟incere condolences鈥 to the Chen family and conducted a full review.
鈥淰isitors are always exposed to some area of risk when recreating in the outdoors 鈥 risk cannot be eliminated,鈥 it said in a statement provided to the coroner.
Following the incident, the DoC implemented significant safety improvements at the site.
The upgraded Upper Gantry area as at June 2025. Photo / Department of Conservation
These included the installation of prominent warning signs, a child-proof gate (initially temporary) and, most notably, a full upgrade of the Upper Gantry platform.
The updated site now includes barriers along all sides, blocking access to the previously exposed rocks.
The signage clearly warns of 鈥渞ock, water and fall hazards鈥 and is visible from both the boardwalk and the approach to the track.
The DoC has also reclassified the Marian Falls Track, acknowledging that its typical visitor profile has shifted toward 鈥渟hort-stop travellers鈥 with lower skill levels and higher need for risk management.
鈥淒oC鈥檚 response has been exemplary,鈥 the coroner concluded.
鈥淚n my view, these represent a vast improvement to the safety of the site.鈥
In addition to the site-specific changes, the DoC is considering broader reforms, including simplifying its visitor classification system and providing clearer risk communication at unmanaged or informal tracks.
The department noted the rise of social media was a likely factor in more visitors venturing off-track.
The coroner declined to make formal recommendations, citing the DoC鈥檚 鈥渢horoughness and thoughtfulness鈥 and noting that the improvements already made were 鈥渢o be encouraged.鈥
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.
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