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A woman who died after eating magic mushrooms has been named as a heart transplant recipient.
Te Awhina Hawera, 23, had a transplant at Auckland's Green Lane Hospital in 1997, the Waikato Times reported today.
Hamilton police Senior Sergeant Marcus Lynam said Ms Hawera was with a group of friends at a Hamilton East flat on Thursday when she tried magic mushrooms.
She later collapsed after complaining of being scared and cold. Ambulance officers performed CPR, but she died at Waikato Hospital about 10pm.
"It was just a small group of friends that decided to partake in magic mushrooms," Mr Lynam said.
Mr Lyman warned the public of the dangers of the mushrooms, which contain an active ingredient classified as an illegal class A controlled drug.
The compounds in the mushrooms were psychedelics and caused a loss of reality and possibly paranoia. They can induce a "bad trip" and can be fatal.
Ms Hawera's father, Piripi Hawera, who has also had heart surgery to replace a valve, told the Waikato Times his daughter was an outgoing person.
"She did a lot of things that amazed us. She did things that we thought would have been beyond her given her circumstances."
- NZPA
