KEY POINTS:
"She was the light of my life - she is my life."
These words from the grieving mother of Mount Maunganui College schoolgirl Breeze Brunton reflect her bubbly, energetic daughter, who touched the lives and hearts of all who knew her.
Breeze, 13, died on Wednesday when she was hit by a logging truck as she walked away from her brother's car to cross Maunganui Rd, to the college.
Breeze will be farewelled today at Pikitu Marae in South Waikato.Her mother, Shanon, said her daughter was a special person who, in such a short time, had enriched many people's lives.
Those sentiments were echoed by Mount Maunganui College principal Terry Collett who said, just like her name, the teenager was a "bright and breezy sort of kid".
Although it was Breeze's first year at the school, she was well known and well liked because of her gregarious personality.
Mr Collett said the school community was still trying to comprehend what had happened.
"She was probably focused on crossing the road, seeing her friends on the other side, you know. She was one of those full-on kids that just wanted to get there with her mates and get on with her day."
Students from Mount Maunganui College arrived at the marae yesterday to pay their respects. Many of them witnessed the horrific accident that took their friend's life. They were on a bus that arrived at the school gate when Breeze was clipped by the truck.
Schoolmates took flowers and tributes to the marae where Breeze lay peacefully in an open casket.
A tribute card painted with Breeze's image was left by her form class, 9ML. Messages inside made mention of how she always made her classmates laugh, how she "made everyone happy", and how she liked to dye her hair.
The tough time was made even harder for Breeze's classmate Abraham Webster. He was on the bus across from the accident, admiring the Nissan Skyline car belonging to Breeze's brother when she was hit.
Breeze went to step over the white line to cross the road, he said. But as she leaned forward the last bolster bar on the back of the truck collided with the side of her head.
Classmates Taylor Horomia, Harley Wise, Carlin Wade and Harrison Richards, all 13, remembered a fun-loving, confident girl, who was "always laughing".
* Police are still calling for all logging truck drivers using Maunganui Rd between 7.45am and 8.15am on Wednesday to contact them.
They also want to hear from any witnesses to the accident that killed Breeze Brunton, no matter how trivial they may think their information is.
Senior Sergeant Ian Campion, the Western Bay of Plenty's chief traffic officer, said although police had spoken to three drivers by yesterday, they wanted to hear from all log truck drivers using the stretch of road around the time Breeze was killed.
Police believe the driver may not know they hit someone and are scouring video footage from the Port of Tauranga and at least one other location, hoping to gain leads.
Officers spoke to two truck drivers not long after the accident and a third driver had contacted them after hearing publicity on the case.
However, Mr Campion said yesterday that police were yet to locate the driver or vehicle involved.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
