Tamati Rae, 32, was killed when his car crashed into the Otututu River last month.
Tamati Rae, 32, was killed when his car crashed into the Otututu River last month.
Hine King is moving from Kapiti to Kaikoura this week to take on a new life and, essentially, a new family.
The permanent shift to the South Island is a painful but necessary one in her eyes, as she leaves a thriving career at the Kapiti Community Centre as strategic manager to follow a special new path.
It is not the first time Hine and her family have packed up unexpectedly and left to create something new.
Cory and Hine King, with son Casma, 8, are leaving their life in Paraparaumu to take on four children in Kaikoura.
In 2011, the Kings relocated to Kapiti from Christchurch after the February 22, 2011, earthquakes, in an attempt to escape the on-going trauma of aftershocks and a broken city.
Now, Hine is moving with her husband Cory and their son Casma, 8, to take on three nephews and a niece, who lost their father last month.
Hine's brother-in-law Tamati Rae, 32, of Kaikoura, was killed when his car crashed off the Otututu River Bridge, north of Greymouth, on Sunday, September 10.
While his boys, aged 11, seven and six, were in the car and lucky to survive, thanks to the assistance of 17-year-old Andrew Field, who rescued them from the river, Tamati drowned.
Andrew Field.
Since Tamati was a solo father to his children, including a nine-year-old daughter who was not in the car at the time, the Kings decided that they would relocate to support them.
Tamati, who was excited to be introducing his new girlfriend to the family during a holiday in Wellington, had visited the Kings at their Paraparaumu home the day before the accident.
"Tamati was travelling roads he knew well, so we can only assume he was tired," said Hine, who described him as having "a beautiful soul".
"Even after all attempts of family telling him to go the next day, he was determined to be back for work. It just didn't seem real because he was just with us, we could still see his smile and hear him laughing. It was devastating."
Hine and Cory will now co-raise the four children and Casma with the kids' grandparents, while the couple's eldest children Ani, 18, and Puratana, 23, remain in the Wellington region for study and work commitments.
"The family was looking at splitting the kids as it was too much for any one couple to raise all four together. I couldn't bear to see them go through yet another separation."
The scene of the crash at the Otututu River Bridge, north of Greymouth.
Cory has gone on leave from his 26-year career with the Royal New Zealand Defence Force's Joint Forces, which has "been our family in times of need, like the Christchurch earthquake". Hine said the earthquakes had taught the family resilience, as well as new beginnings.
"With our move to Wellington, my focus was family. A house is simply a building made of nails and wood but the people, the family, make it a home. Now, with our move to Kaikoura, it's simply another new beginning."
While there, Hine hopes to find a new job opportunity that will continue supporting community or youth initiatives.
Before leaving Christchurch, she had taken on a role as commercial manager for a recently-introduced New Zealand ticketing and event management company.
She started at the Kapiti Community Centre in November 2016, using her strengths in sales and marketing, an 18-year background in hotel, travel and event management, and a general love for people to help raise the centre's profile.
Before the role at the centre, she launched the first Porirua Youth 2 Work JOBfest.
"I leave knowing what I've achieved and how our centre culture is alive and has a 'soul'." Having described their time with Tamati as precious, the Kings say they are grateful to Andrew and farmer Ryan Davy, who took the boys to his house and warmed them up after the accident.
"They will always remain very special in our hearts and we're all so grateful because the outcome could've been quite different. Our focus is on the children being in a safe and loving environment," Hine says.
"We honour Tamati by giving unconditional love to our niece and nephews."
