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Weaving through the atrium of SkyCity, Edward Hinchcliff was mistaken for a drunk. Incoherent, and suffering from what police describe as "unexplained facial injuries", the 24-year-old was removed by security.
"He had the appearance of being intoxicated," said Detective Inspector Scott Beard.
"In fact he sat down and they thought he was trying to have a sleep. It's a big public area and they've got an image to protect."
In fact Ed, as he was known to family and friends, was displaying the effects of a fatal brain aneurysm, a balloon-like bulge in a blood vessel that burst, flooding his cranium.
Minutes later - at 2.57pm on February 5 - he collapsed around the corner. A passerby found him outside TVNZ at the intersection of Hobson St and Victoria St. He died in Auckland City Hospital that afternoon.
Earlier, Ed had been seen outside the Lippy clothing store on the corner of Queen St and Durham St East with a black eye and a fat lip. Police are still trying to trace his movements in the CBD using CCTV footage.
The son of former Auckland city councillor and AUT vice-chancellor John Hinchcliff, and nephew of former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Ed had struggled with schizophrenia since his teens.
Many of the circumstances around his death remain mysterious. Witness statements suggest the facial injuries may have been caused by an assault, but police are confident Ed was not the victim of a homicide.
They are searching for his white 1999 Mazda Familia, which could have been stolen or may just be parked somewhere. Ed's cellphone and an iPod are also missing.
John Hinchcliff said his family did not blame SkyCity but thinks the situation could have been handled differently. "It would be good if they had a device for testing whether people are drunk before they treat them like that."
A SkyCity spokeswoman said at least two staff with advanced first aid training are on duty at all times. First aiders are supervised by fully trained management and all staff receive training in first aid, alcohol education and host responsibility.
Aneurysms can take years to develop and usually don't cause detectable problems until they burst. John said his son had a CT scan four or five years ago which hadn't picked up any problems.
Ed was preparing to finish a stint at the Auckland District Health Board's Buchanan Rehabilitation Centre in Pt Chevalier when he died.
"This is just like a bad dream," his father told about 200 mourners, including a distressed Sir Geoffrey. "Why Ed when he was so young, when he's had such a rough deal?"
Ed was the youngest of seven children born to John and Laurie Hinchcliff. He attended Freemans Bay Primary, where he was the only European in the Maori bilingual class, and King's College, where he was a house prefect and played rugby.
After high school he enrolled in a business course at AUT but by 19 was struggling with mental illness.
His siblings told mourners about the brother they had lost. Sister Lisa Moor, who was 16 when Ed was born, described leading her baby brother around their garden so he could smell the flowers. She said Ed was determined to succeed despite his schizophrenia. "I am so thankful now that whenever I saw you I told you I loved you," she said.
The Hinchcliff family moved from central Auckland to Bucklands Beach where Ed developed a love of animals.
There was laughter in the chapel as sister-in-law Kathleen Moor told mourners how he raised piglets and chased them around the garden.
Much of the service was conducted by a former Deputy-Mayor of Auckland, the Rev Dr Bruce Hucker, whose wife Judy was Ed's godmother. During the multi-denominational service, Catholic priest Father Terry Dibble said: "Ed was a man who was afflicted with suffering and it is quite tragic that he should die at such a young age."
John Hinchcliff thanked Ed "for who you were and who you would be, you live in our memories".
