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The brother and sister killed in a level-crossing crash with a train were driving home after buying a present for their mother's birthday.
On the morning of the accident, Keeley Jamieson, 20, and her boyfriend, Jo Hunu, had taken her brother, Ryan, 22, to hospital so he could get a dressing changed after a work-related injury on his arm.
Then they spent the afternoon shopping for a present for their mother who was supposed to celebrate her birthday yesterday. Instead, she spent the day in mourning for her two youngest children.
Family friend Beau Walters said yesterday: "They were just lovely young kids that had grown up in Maketu in a close-knit family."
Another family friend, Penni Gibson, said the trio had stopped at Te Puke for Chinese food before heading back to Maketu on Tuesday.
The family did not want to speculate on how the accident had happened but police said the Maketu Rd crossing's lights and bells were working at the time and the train driver was frantically sounding his horn but could not brake in time.
A witness has described seeing the car, which appeared to have lowered suspension, slow down to get over a hump at the crossing before being hit by the train.
Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said the car had a warrant and there was nothing to indicate speed or racing contributed to the accident.
He said it did, however, appear that Keeley Jamieson was not a licensed driver but police still had to speak to the family about that matter.
However, Mr Walters said that was incorrect as she did have a driver's licence and that the car belonged to her older brother, Doyle, who was returning from Australia.
Mr Hunu, who was asleep in the front passenger seat of the car when the accident happened, was released from hospital yesterday and spent the day with the Jamieson family.
Tuesday's accident was the second fatal collision at the crossing in 10 years and calls have been made for improvements to safety there.
Maketu chief fire officer Shane Beech described the crossing as a "blackspot" where there were multiple blocks to driver visibility and a 100km/h speed limit.
Ontrack chief executive David George said while the company felt for the Jamieson family, there were safety measures in place and he could not help but wonder what it would take to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
"This was another example of a collision occurring where flashing lights and bells provided warning of an approaching train," he said.
Ontrack is continuing to invest in upgrading level crossings but progress installing barrier arms at most crossings is slow. Only 260 of the country's 1400 crossings are protected and limited funds mean only seven crossings are upgraded annually.
