Missing lift led to last ride, says witness

By Eugene Bingham and Alison Horwood

Olivia Hope and Ben Smart would not have taken their ill-fated water taxi journey if a promised ride to a bach at Punga Cove had eventuated.

The young couple planned to pick up gear from the yacht Tamarack, then sleep the night ashore where Ben was holidaying with friends, it emerged yesterday.

Kirsty Elizabeth Sutherland told the Scott Watson double murder trial in the High Court at Wellington that Marko Doblanovic used his runabout to drop her, Olivia and Ben at Tamarack.

She said Mr Doblanovic was going to return to Tamarack after dropping his other passengers at Punga Cove, across Endeavour Inlet from Furneaux Lodge.

"Because we thought Marko was coming, we got our gear and waited on top of the Tamarack, at the bottom of the mast," she told the jury.

They waited in vain.

Olivia Hope and Ben Smart wrapped themselves in life-jackets to ward off the cold, and eventually gave up and went below deck to find a berth. There was none.

"Olivia and Ben came up and we decided we would go ashore and it was no big deal. We just thought we would catch the next boat that came our way," said Miss Sutherland.

A Naiad water taxi soon pulled up to drop off Olivia's sister Amelia and her friend Rick Goddard.

Olivia boarded the water taxi with Ben, but Miss Sutherland missed the boat.

"I was putting my gear on top of the boat and it took off without me,"said Miss Sutherland.

"Just when the boat was on the way out, Olivia yelled out,'Where's Kirsty?'

"We had a bit of a discussion and I just said,'You go on'."

That was the last she saw of her close friend of five years.

The Crown alleges Watson was a passenger on board that water taxi, and offered the couple a bed for the night.

He denies murdering them.