Author and award-winning journalist Colin Moore was killed after becoming trapped between his boat trailer and his van after it jack-knifed on a boat ramp, a coroner has found.
Moore became trapped between the winch post on his boat trailer and his ute while he tried to retrieve his 4.1-metre aluminium boat from the water at Taupo Bay after a day's fishing in June 2009.
Coroner Brandt Shortland said Moore, 64, had been recovering his boat by himself when he got out of his moving vehicle while he was backing the boat trailer down a ramp and was trapped when the trailer jack-knifed.
Three men eventually freed Moore and attempted to revive him but were unable to do so.
Mr Shortland said the death served as a warning to boat users about the dangers of launching and retrieving vessels, especially when it was done by only one person.
Moore had been a journalist since 1964. He was the New Zealand Herald's travel editor for several years and had won a Qantas award.
He also wrote several books, including Outdoors in New Zealand and Take a Kid Outdoors.
