A teenager trapped upside down in a waterfall for three hours has died.
The 15-year-old boy was exploring the Motatapu Gorge near Wanaka with a group of friends on New Year's Day.
He got his foot stuck in the top of the waterfall and was trapped in an air pocket between the water and the cliff face.
Acting Search and Rescue coordinator, Senior Constable Mike Johnston, says rescuers eventually managed to free the teen.
However, he was suffering from severe hypothermia and later died in hospital.
