Tauranga teen who died at swimming hole remembered as 'beautiful soul'

Alex Mary Hiria Erueti, 16, died on December 9 after suffering a stroke while swimming at a popular spot in a stream near her home. Photo / Supplied

A Lower Kaimai teenager is remembered for her contagious laugh, "very loud and proud" bubbly outgoing personality and her "beautiful soul".

Alexandria Mary Hiria Erueti, 16, died on December 9 after she got into difficulties while swimming at a popular swimming hole near her home in Soldiers Rd.

Emergency services' efforts to revive her at the scene were unsuccessful.

Born in Tauranga on June 26, 2004, she was the only daughter and youngest child of three and a Year 11 student at Tauranga Girls' College.

Of Ngati Ranginui and Te Arawa descent, her heartbroken parents Ceceliamaria Erueti and Hugh Dalrymple, who live in Maungatapu and Matamata, were too upset to speak about their daughter's death.

Alexandria, who was known as "Alex", is lying at rest at the Soldiers Rd home she shared with her oldest brother Phillip Erueti, 33, his partner Hope Papara and their teenage son.

Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend yesterday, Papara said Alex's sudden death had left a "gaping hole" in their family and her parents were inconsolable.

Papara said the autopsy report confirmed Alex had suffered a stroke after a sudden brain bleed, and despite efforts to save her she had died at the scene.

Emergency services at the scene on Soldiers Rd in Lower Kamai. Photo / George Novak

A tearful Papara said Alex was affectionately known as "Little Miss" by the family.

"She was always really loud, cheeky, and had such a bubbly, outgoing personality. We always knew when Alex was around, you could hear her coming before you saw her.

"Alex spent a lot of time with me. She was like a daughter to me and I would do anything for her. And we just loved her to bits.

"She always came to me if she needed someone to talk to. We had an amazing special bond, so much so that she trusted me to be the holder of her secrets. And we even shared the same birthday," she said.

"Alex had a 'loud and proud' personality, too loud we often told her. But she was really funny, loving, caring, and such a beautiful person. She lived life to the full every day."

Papara said Alex's main interests centred around music, cars, including drag cars, skateboarding, riding scooters, and hanging out with her friends and family.

"She loved nothing better than cruising with her boyfriend Keegan and her friends in their cars and playing music 24-7.

"Every day Alex would play her music as loud as she could, the louder the better she used to say, and she would even do so while in the bath or in the shower."

Alex had wide musical tastes but loved hip hop and rap and some of her favourite artists were Machine Gun Kelly, Tupac Shakur and Suicide Dogs, she said.

Papara said Alex was also a regular social media poster, including on Instagram and Snapchat.

Her brothers Phillip Erueti, and Prider Eureti, 26, said their sister had a "larger-than-life personality" and she was much loved by her entire family.

"Alex was 'Miss Popularity'. She had heaps of friends. She was always loving and kind to everyone and she was always there for anybody who needed help," Phillip said.

Prider said his sister was "loud and proud" and not scared of anything.

"She was a beautiful girl who had so much energy for life, our family will not be the same without her."

Her shocked godmother Hannah Eureti said Alex was "a joyful girl" and so full of laughter and loved life.

"She loved her family, especially her two brothers, as we all loved her."

Her nephew Lyrick Erueti, 14, said he and his aunty had been down at the popular family swimming spot in the Te Ahara stream for about 10 or 15 minutes when the tragedy unfolded.

The stream is a tributary of the Wairoa River and Alex and the other whānau members had swum there countless times before, Lyrick's mother Hope said.

Lyrick said they had been in the water about 10 minutes or so when Alex started having difficulties.

"We had gone in and out of the water a few times and she was fine ... She was across the other side of the stream when I suddenly realised she was starting to go down under the water and not coming up."

Lyrick said he immediately swam over and brought his aunt back to some rocks near the edge of the stream bank and placed her head on a rock to keep it above the water.

"I called 111 and then got my mum, who was close by."

A devastated Lyrick said his much-loved aunt Alex was "more like a sister to him" and her death was something he was struggling to come to terms with.

There has been an outpouring of grief and shocked sympathy messages on Facebook, including one post which reads " ... Such a beautiful & bubbly soul taken too soon ... Gonna miss ya cheeky, loud and bubbly vibe on visits bub."

Another poster wrote, "Rest in Peace my darling girl, taken too soon heaven has gained a angel."

Alex is also survived by her grandparents Ted and Mihi Eureti, and Betty and Jack Dalrymple, and she was the great-granddaughter of the late Mary Edwards.

She would have become an aunt for the second time in June next year.

A tangi will be held at 48 Soldiers Rd from 11 am on December 13, followed by a burial at the family urupa nearby.