KEY POINTS:
To most New Zealanders, she is simply the schoolgirl pictured in the news after being murdered and dumped in a river.
But the hundreds who turned out yesterday to farewell Marie Davis, 15, heard much more about this beloved teenager: a perfectionist who could also be clumsy and
"a bit of mess", a great cook, a mischief-maker, an animal lover, a high-speed text messager, and an individual who expressed herself through her art.
About 500 people packed into Christchurch's Hornby Presbyterian Church for an emotional funeral service which incorporated Marie's joint Maori and Scottish heritage, with karakia, haka and bagpipes.
Marie's death had shocked Christchurch, and celebrant Neil Struthers admitted to mourners that when he first heard the teenager was missing he thought, "Surely God, not another one."
Her mother, Janet Davis, holding her youngest grandchild in her arms, told the mourners she wanted to celebrate her daughter's life.
"I will never say goodbye to my baby because she will always be with me wherever I go and wherever I am." The large turnout to farewell Marie helped her to cope.
"I'm so proud that my baby was so well loved," she said.
Nick Donald, Marie's cousin, said it was a tragic loss of a "beautiful, talented girl who was building towards a great future".
Marie's friends would miss her helping with homework, how fast she could text on her cellphone and her stealing their clothes.
Her family would miss the aromas of her cooking and her constantly resetting the microwave clock to make sure it was right.
Her mischievous side, borne out in episodes such as her handcuffing her older sister to a lamp-post, would also be missed.
She was a "sensitive soul" who loved all animals, and got upset with her mother feeding birds where cats could get at them. "She also had a great teenage individuality that came out in her love of music, fashion ... and her art," Mr Donald said.
Werner Botha, whose daughter Robyn was her inseparable friend, said Marie was a typical teenager, "noisy, clumsy, disorganised", who preferred to "fall up stairs", broke furniture and stained the carpet.
Her casket was led away covered in flowers, pictures and the red blanket that she used to call her "cuddly".
Police officers hunting the killer were at the service and got a special mention.
"It's important to acknowledge the wonderful work of the police ... and the love and caring they have handled the family with," Mr Struthers said. "I believe as a city, we need to honour them. It's very easy to pour crap on them."
Police are seeking a man seen fishing on the banks of the Waimakariri River on the morning after Marie disappeared.
"This man aged 60-70 years old had a dog with him and sat in a deckchair ... on the north bank," said Detective Senior Sergeant Virginia Le Bas. "We'd like to speak to him as a potential witness."
