An American student killed in a horrific car smash north of Taupo was on an international research trip discovering how undersea volcanoes are filling the oceans with iron. Family described 22-year-old Celia Kelly and her work as inspiring.
Kelly, an oceanography student from the University of Washington, was killed when the Toyota in which she was a passenger collided head-on with a Honda 20km north of Taupo on March 15.
Two other University of Washington students were injured in the crash and were taken to Rotorua Hospital.
The driver of the Honda suffered serious injuries and was flown to the hospital's intensive care unit. His passengers received moderate injuries and were treated at Taupo Hospital. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
The students had travelled to Auckland on a 10-day research trip as a component of their senior theses. Susan Hautala, an associate professor who travelled with the group, said Kelly was detailing the distribution of trace metals in the plumes created by undersea volcanoes to understand how much iron they contributed to the ocean.
