Balloon tribute for Jamie Kaiwai as ‘dark mystery’ hangs over Tolaga Bay

Jamie Kaiwai went missing at Tolaga Bay in 2019. Whānau and friends met on the beach on Wednesday to mark her 33rd birthday.

A lone yellow balloon flew over Tolaga Bay Wharf on Wednesday to mark the 33rd birthday of local woman Jamie Kaiwai – now missing for more than five years.

The day began with a karakia at 7am before a small group of friends and whānau met later in the morning to honour their loved one near where she was last seen.

“Jamie’s disappearance is a dark mystery over the town, and we want to lift up all that mystery,” the ceremony’s organiser said.

She described herself as a friend of Jamie’s mother and sister, but did not want to be named.

She and others at the birthday ceremony had safety-related concerns about being identified, the woman said.

Kaiwai was last seen in the Tolaga Bay Wharf carpark on the morning of October 10, 2019.

Marking her 33rd birthday was a happy occasion, the organiser said.

“We walked to the end of the wharf. We had a dance, sang and remembered Jamie.

“When we got to the end, we had a laugh and some happy tears, turned the radio on and boogied back to where we released our balloon.”

Tourists visiting the area expressed their condolences when told about Kaiwai.

A search and rescue base was set up at Tolaga Bay after the disappearance of Jamie Kaiwai in October 2019. She remains missing and a vigil for her 33rd birthday was held at Tolaga Bay Wharf (pictured in the background) on Wednesday.

Yellow was chosen because of several photos circulating in social media in which Kaiwai is wearing a yellow T-shirt.

“Jamie is happy and glowing in those photos. This is how we want to remember her. She was a beautiful artist, she composed and read music. She was super-talented.”

Kaiwai, nicknamed Jambo, could also play classical guitar, she said.

The organiser said there were 33 balloons at the beach but only one was released because of environmental concerns expressed by some.

Another birthday ceremony would be held next year, and earlier planning would allow for more people to attend, she said.

“We hope to do this every year – until we find her and put a stone down.”

Under tikanga it was vital to have a body and stage a tangi for the loved one.

“Jamie was big on tikanga. Hopefully by next year, we might have found her.

“Her bones might be here, but her spirit is in a better place.”

Kawai’s car was found with the keys in the ignition at the Tolaga Bay Wharf carpark on October 13 – three days after she went missing.

Photographs showed the car had been moved between parking spots in the carpark in the days after her disappearance.

Search and Rescue, police, Tolaga Bay Surf Life Saving Club, the Character Roofing emergency callout lifesaving squad and other volunteers using various equipment, including inflatable rescue boats and a fixed-wing aircraft, began a search supported by Kaiwai’s whānau.

Searchers combed the shoreline and the waters around the wharf without success.

Kaiwai’s cousin Jonique Oli-Alainu’uese has previously said that while Kaiwai had mental health issues, friends and whānau were adamant she died from foul play and did not take her own life.

Oli-Alainu’uese has been active in the media to publicise the whānau’s search for Kaiwai.

“If we truly believed that she did commit suicide, then that may be something we could accept, but we don’t,” Oli-Alainu’uese said in a December 2023 Gisborne Herald story.

The birthday organiser reiterated Oli-Alainu’uese’s belief there were people out in the community with vital information about Kaiwai.

Police confirmed to the Gisborne Herald on Friday that Kaiwai’s disappearance remained an open investigation.