Okaihau says goodbye to Ashlee

Hundreds of friends and family members braved rain and bitter cold in Okaihau on Tuesday to farewell a young mother who lost her life in tragic circumstances in Whangarei last week.

The body of 21-year-old Ashlee Louise Anne Edwards was found beside the Waiarohia Stream, in the central city, in the early hours of Friday morning. A 29-year-old Whangarei man, originally from the Bay of the Islands, has been charged with her murder.

Ashlee's family did not wish to dwell on the circumstances of her death, however. Rather her funeral at the Okaihau Hall remembered and celebrated the giggles and laughter that rang around her, her confidence, her love for her two young children, and her "happy soul".

Her mother and grandmother made a heartfelt pledge to raise her two young daughters, aged 2 and 5 months, with all the love they could muster.

So many friends and supporters turned out that people were standing in every available space inside the hall while dozens more huddled under umbrellas outside. Some even stood under shop awnings across the road.

Ashlee was laid to rest, in pouring rain, in the cemetery at the town's historic St Catherine's Church, not far from the family farm.

The service was attended by Maori and Pakeha, farmers and townies. Half the Okaihau Fire Brigade turned out, as did council members and police.

Locals said it was one of the biggest gatherings Okaihau had seen in recent years. Parked cars lined Okaihau Road from State Highway 1 to Okaihau College and in every side street.

Police still want to hear from anyone who has seen Ashlee's cellphone, hoping it will help them piece together the last hours of her life. The phone, a black LG A180, is expected to be somewhere in central Whangarei. Call Detective Senior Sergeant Dene Begbie on (09) 430-4500, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555-111.