An amazing dad. A talented nature photographer. A cherished wife.
Family and friends grieving the loss of five people who died in a boating accident at a popular New Zealand whale-watching destination have described some of the victims as loving and community-minded and said their deaths will leave a gaping hole.
Eleven people were aboard the 8.5-metre boat when it capsized on Saturday morning in Goose Bay near the South Island town of Kaikōura. Six people were rescued and five bodies were recovered from inside the vessel by police divers.
The group were members of the Nature Photography Society of New Zealand who had chartered the boat for three hours to take photographs of birds. In a statement the society’s vice-president, Richard Hensby, said the community was “saddened by the tragic loss at sea”.
“Our thoughts are with the families of those members of the society who have lost their lives,” Hensby said, adding that the society would not comment further until the investigations into what caused the vessel to capsize were complete.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has launched an investigation, alongside other agencies, and has appealed for witnesses who saw the accident unfold.
Early reports suggested a whale had collided with the boat and the waters had been calm at the time of the accident. Police had said there was a collision but they were yet to ascertain its cause.
Kaikōura is a popular whale-watching destination. The seafloor drops away precipitously from the coast, making for deep waters close to the shore. A number of businesses offer boat trips or helicopter rides so tourists can see whales, dolphins and other sea creatures up close.
Police are yet to release the names of the five people who died but some family and friends have confirmed their identities to media.
Celia Wade-Brown, the former mayor of Wellington, knew one of the victims, Susan Cade, for roughly 10 years through the Wellington Sea Kayaking Network.
“She was very community-minded … and she didn’t just participate, she helped in the organisation on various activities as well.”
Wade-Brown said Cade was also a dancer and a talented nature photographer whose death has shocked the wider kayaking community.
The kayaking network will hold a moment of silence to remember her at their next event on Saturday.
Peter Simpson, the husband of another victim, Cathye Haddock, said he felt as if he had been “hit by a truck” following news of her death.
“She was very much a people person and well, I could accuse her of having too many friends if there is such a thing to have,” he told the AM show on Monday morning.
“She just had time for everybody and managed to fit everybody into her world. I just don’t know how she did it.”
Simpson said Haddock, who was from Wellington and worked at the Ministry of Education, loved the outdoors and had recently joined the photography society to go birdwatching with Cade. He said he had questions about how the accident happened but was satisfied to let the investigation process play out.
Haddock has been described as a true friend to Kahungunu ki Wairapara (the southern group of the Ngāti Kahungunu iwi) for her work promoting te reo Māori and developing an education plan with the iwi.
“She was such an awesome woman who would bend over backwards for the iwi – whatever we needed, she was always there for us,” iwi member PJ Devonshire told the Guardian.
Haddock was Pākehā (New Zealand European) but was “really passionate about te reo Māori, about the people, the culture and helping [the iwi] meet its aspirations”, Devonshire said. “We will remember Cathye … she was a wonderful woman.”
Another victim, Christchurch man Peter Charles Hockley, has been described by his daughter, who wished to remain anonymous, as an “amazing dad” and kind-hearted man who was an avid photographer.
Her father loved spending time at his Otematata beach house in Otago and would take many photos in the area, she told Stuff. “It was his life.”
The Otematata Residents’ Association also paid tribute to Hockley, who had donated his time to taking photographs for an annual fundraising calendar.
“He was a very quiet man … very humble. It’s so sad for us,” its chairperson, Steve Dalley, said.
