One mistake on night out ends life full of promise

Ezra Fluerty loved the outdoors and going hunting with his father. Photo / Supplied

Ezra Fluerty dreamed of taking over his father's hunting business one day.

But the friendly, popular 19-year-old will never get his chance.

On Wednesday morning he was a passenger in a car, driven by an alleged drunk driver, which crashed into a lamp-post in Ohakune, killing him instantly.

His father Gerald Fluerty broke into tears as he told how Ezra had been helping him with his Wildside Hunting Safaris company, "peeling spuds and sweeping floors" since he was 10.

When he got his firearms licence at 16 he began taking guided hunting trips on his own around the country.

"We just loved hunting together," Mr Fluerty said. "It's something we did so much. It sounds like a crazy thing for people who live in town but in rural areas hunting is not just a matter of shooting animals, it's the challenge of pitting your wits against the wild animal, conquering that rough country and weather conditions."

Mr Fluerty said his son was a Christian and was the deputy head boy of Ruapehu College last year, which held a memorial service on Friday.

"He'd spend his days off at home helping us with whatever we were doing. His name Ezra means helper and that's exactly what he was, he'd just help, whatever it was. He's been a lovely kid all his life."

Ezra also worked at the TCB Ski and Board Shop in Ohakune and loved snowboarding.

Last year he had endured a six-month stint working on a cattle station on the Cape York Peninsula in Australia.

"He was loved by everybody, everybody who had had contact with him," Mr Fluerty said.

"He was passionate, he was warm and friendly and easy to get on with. He had a great sense of humour, and was strong. He just had this ability to do whatever was in front of him. Whatever he did, he did full on."

On Tuesday night, Ezra had caught a shuttle up Mt Ruapehu for a staff function on the Turoa skifield.

He had left his car at a friend's house because he knew he would be drinking.

However, at the end of the night he'd hopped into a car with three of his friends to get a ride home.

"He was really careful not to get involved with driving while he was drinking," Mr Fluerty said. "He just made that one mistake. We've not known him to do that."

The other two passengers in the car, aged 19 and 20, are still recovering from their injuries.

An 18-year-old has been charged with drink-driving and cannabis possession. Police say he may face further charges when the crash investigation is completed.

Ezra's funeral is to be held at the Raetihi Baptist Church today.