Dream holiday to tragedy: driver admits causing US tourist’s death

Colorado man Nicholas Simon was 25 and holidaying in New Zealand with his girlfriend when he died in a head-on crash on the outskirts of Gisborne. The driver of the other car yesterday pleased guilty to dangerous driving causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing injury. Picture supplied

The family of an American tourist killed in a head-on crash near Te Karaka last October watched from overseas yesterday as a woman admitted in court her responsibility for the death of Nicholas Isaac Simon.

Myrtle Talya Heaven-Leigh Arnie Whatarau-Te Puni, 26, had previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing the 25-year-old’s death and to two counts of dangerous driving causing injury to passengers in each of their vehicles.

However, arraigned on those charges yesterday morning in Gisborne District Court, she vacated those earlier pleas to plead guilty.

Mr Simon’s grieving family in the USA watched the proceedings via a video-link.

Judge Warren Cathcart convicted Whatarau-Te Puni and remanded her on bail for sentencing on March 1 of next year.

Whatarau-Te Puni was warned by the judge that the sentence starting point would be a term of imprisonment and that she shouldn’t assume the continuation of her bail meant she would not be jailed.

Mr Simon was from Colorado. He and girlfriend Brooke Buchanan, 23, were in New Zealand enjoying a month-long dream holiday.

At about 5.20pm on October 27, they were making their way south on SH2 to a campsite when their rented Jucy van, driven by Mr Simon, collided with a car, driven by Whatarau-Te Puni, near  Holdsworth Bridge about five kilometres north of Te Karaka.

Both drivers and each of their passengers were seriously injured in the crash.

Mr Simon and the passenger in Whatarau-Te Puni’s vehicle, Jacob Noanoa, were airlifted to Waikato Hospital.

Mr Simon died later that night.

Miss Buchanan spent several days in Gisborne Hospital before being discharged so she could return to family in the US.

Whatarau-Te Puni was taken to Wellington Hospital for treatment nearer her family.

The Gisborne Herald understands she and Noanoa had driven from Matawai to Ruatōria that day and were on their way back when the crash happened.

Jacob Noanoa was also charged for driving offences, which had happened when he was driving the vehicle earlier that same day.

He has pleaded guilty to reckless driving and failing to stop for which he is scheduled for sentence in the Gisborne court on December 19.