Birthday cake for a woman who loved life

Tania McKenzie's 20th birthday cake is on the coffin as her father, Garry (right), and other pallbearers say their final goodbyes. Picture / Alan Gibson

The birthday cake made for Tania McKenzie just before she was murdered was placed on top of her coffin yesterday.

In an emotional service, with so many people at the Wanganui Baptist Church that some had to stand at the back of the foyer, friends and family paid tribute to the enthusiastic young woman with a zest for life.

She was murdered last Friday, her 20th birthday. Her body, with massive head injuries, was found at 10.30am in the Whanganui River.

The funeral service included tributes from Miss McKenzie's father and siblings. Her younger brother Nicholas said he would never forgive the person who killed her.

"I will never be the same person but I will live and love life, as that is what she would want us to do."

Her best friend since intermediate school read a letter expressing her memories of their relationship.

She remembered how Miss McKenzie was a hockey goalkeeper who had a mouthguard with a swear word on it to stir up the opposition.

"That was so you, dude," she said.

She spoke of the games they played and the good times they had when they "partied on".

Miss McKenzie had had long blonde hair which earned her the nickname "Blondie" and she made her own dress for the school ball.

"You are so talented and you looked so beautiful in it. We had our arguments and fallings-out, but I could not stay angry at you for long."

Staff at a farm where Miss McKenzie worked sent a message about their experience with her.

When they saw how small she was they doubted she would cope with milking more than 1000 cows. "But she was a powerhouse in a small package."

Miss McKenzie was born in California, so the Mamas and Papas' hit California Dreaming was playing in the background yesterday.

Her mother, Naelene, lit the candles of her birthday cake, which was on the coffin as it was driven from the church.

Police last night canvassed the area where Miss McKenzie would have been in the hours before she was murdered.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam said a resident near the place where the body was found heard a man and a woman twice talking loudly. The first time was after 1am, then again later that morning.

About 4.30am, a witness saw a young woman in the area and thought she was carrying a bottle.

Close by was a man wearing a white shirt and black trousers.

Other sightings included a white car nearby, and a woman seen walking unsteadily.

* The detective leading the Mona Morriss murder inquiry is confident police will catch her killer.

But Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Arnerich said an arrest was unlikely in the next few days.

Representatives of Mrs Morriss' family attended Tania McKenzie's funeral yesterday as police took aerial photographs of the crime scene and spoke to more than 100 people.

It is nine days since Mrs Morriss, 83, was found brutally stabbed in her Marton home.