Some of the faces of those who lost their lives on the roads this holiday season.
Some of the faces of those who lost their lives on the roads this holiday season.
KEY POINTS:
The victims have ranged in age from two to 83. This year's deadly holiday road toll has not discriminated.
There was the 83-year-old Korean grandmother who loved hats and gardening, the Wellington bank manager out geocaching, the teenage girl due to start a chef's course and the American glacier guide.
These are just some of the stories of the 19 people behind this year's Christmas holiday road toll.
The victims have ranged in age from 2 to 83. They died in crashes from Gore up to Northland.
Ten were men, three women, four teenagers and two were children.
The toll passed last year's of 12, with five days still to go.
It's the highest it has been since the 2011/12 holiday period, when 19 people also died.
The official period began at 4pm on December 23, and finished at 6am on Wednesday.
Myung Wha Lim, 83
Myung Wha Lim. Photo / Supplied
December 23, 6.55pm: Myung Wha Lim was known around her neighbourhood for her hats and "big smile".
The Korean mother of two and grandmother of two was a resident at Takapuna's Pupuke Court, an Auckland Council pensioner housing complex.
She was just metres from her home on Taharoto Rd on her usual daily walk when she was struck by a car and killed.
Her neighbour Josie Warne, 73, found her and described her as a "lovely, lovely lady".
"She didn't speak a lot of English, but she would join in with another woman and I to talk about our tomatoes and strawberries and the garden. She had a beautiful smile, and she always wore lovely hats."
Sione Taumalolo, 11, and Talita Moimoi, 33
Sione Taumalolo and Talita Moimoi. Photo / Supplied
December 24, 10.30pm: Sione Taumalolo was missing home but excited to be in New Zealand with his Tongan classmates to raise money for his brass band.
The "quiet, kind and smiley" Mailefihi Siuʻilikutapu College student had spent time with his sister, Jupitta Taumalolo Smith, who lives in New Zealand, when the group were in Auckland to perform at Aotea Square.
Moimoi was a mother of a 1-year-old girl, Talita jnr, and left her and her loving husband in Tonga to accompany the Mailefihi Siuʻilikutapu College students with her aunt, the tour leader.
Her husband or 10 years remembered how his wife's smile always made him happy.
Clifford John Irving, 66
Cliff Irving.
December 25, 7pm:
Father of two and grandad of six Clifford Irving was retired from Hewlett-Packard where he had worked as a system analyst.
The Lower Hutt man, 66, appeared passionate about animals and road safety, showing on his Facebook page that he had signed several petitions on the subjects.
Irving was killed in a collision between a motorcycle and a ute on State Highway 2 in South Wairarapa on Christmas Day.
A funeral notice for Irving asked that in lieu of flowers, donations were made to the Wellington branch of the Women's International Motorcycle Association.
Tyler Davis, 2
Tyler Te Ruru Ahurei Davis. Source / Givealittle
December 26, 11.45am: Two-year-old Tyler Te Ruru Ahurei Davis had just celebrated Christmas with her family.
The "beautiful, cheeky little girl" lived with her mum and dad Morgan and Kiwi Davis and three siblings.
She was hit by a car reversing in a driveway in Te Kauwhata on Boxing Day.
A Givealitte page said her death had "shaken the family and community to the core".
Cole Troy Hull, Samuel James Drost and Lily Frances Moore, all 15
Sam Drost.
December 26, 2.20am: Teenagers Cole Hull, Samuel Drost and Lily Moore were all just 15 and still at high school.
They shared smiling photos of their innocent lives on social media.
The trio were killed in a crash near Leeston outside Christchurch. A 14-year-old boy was behind the wheel and suffered serious injuries. Another teenager, also 14, suffered minor injuries.
Drost attended Lincoln High School and was described in a family notice as "the love of his mother's life".
Lily Frances Moore
It was the second death within the family last year; his father Jeremy died in May.
Moore attended Rangi Ruru Girls' School and was remembered as "a beautiful girl".
Hull attended Ellesmere College and was described by his father on social media as "my mini me, my first true love, my soul mate".
Known as "Flash", the 46-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment with 15 years' minimum non-parole in 1994 for the rape and murder of 24-year-old mother Linda Gordon in Kaitangata on December 19, 1993.
He was released from and recalled to prison twice, before the New Zealand Parole Board released him for a third time last November.
He'd been living in Christchurch and had a daughter Samantha Sloane and a baby granddaughter named Milan.
Sloane said: "I actually feel a sense of relief for the family, because I know they'll be relieved.
"I told my dad that what he'd done is absolutely disgusting and it's unforgivable."
Andrew Marshall Reinders, 53
Andrew Reinders. Photograph/LinkedIn.
December 28, 9.30am:Andrew Reinders was a business development manager for Kiwibank and previously worked for many years at Westpac.
The 53-year-old had three daughters and was committed to Christian education, was involved in school life and was always helping others, his wife Wilma said.
He had been geocaching when his car collided with a milk tanker in Hawera.
The activity is described as a "real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices".
Wilma said her husband of 26 years had left the day before the crash and had been due back that evening.
"I am so sad, but hope that we will meet again in heaven."
She said one thing the family could take great comfort from was his strong Christian faith.
December 29, body found: Mt Cook glacier guide Lucas Halgren had worked with Glacier Explorers as a guide in the Aoraki/Mount Cook Village for two months.
The 24-year-old and his colleagues had finished work early because of bad weather and he had been at a friend's accommodation before he left and crashed on his motorbike.
His body was found after he failed to turn up for work.
Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village Ltd tourism manager Bede Ward said Halgren was "a much-liked employee".
"We have all been hoping we would find Sven somewhere in relative safety."
Arthur Robert Reihana Ruka
December 30, 5.30pm: Arthur Robert Reihana Ruka was known as Bobby by his family and friends.
They paid tribute to him after he was killed in a single-car crash on State Highway 12 at Aranga, about 30km north of Dargaville.
One woman said: "It came as a shock after battling the cancer and the loss of his brother. They were a big part of our family as we all grew up together, lived at our house, looked up to my dad for everything, worked in the bush. What a big loss to us all a very kind guy."
Another said: "So shocked, so heartbroken. A great humble man with a huge heart."
Tihioterangi Rei Edgecombe, 33
Tihioterangi Rei Edgecombe. Photo / Supplied
December 31, 9pm Tihioterangi Rei Edgecombe had been living in the North Canterbury town of Cheviot for about a year.
The 33-year-old father-of-six, who grew up in Mangaweka in the Manawatu-Wanganui region, cared for his girlfriend's children while she worked, and looked after locals' cars and gardens.
He had spent New Year's Eve fixing a car when he decided to see how it was running.
He missed a bend on Downs Rd, struck a tree and died.
Edgecombe's aunt Sharlene Edgecombe, who he lived with, said he was known for his "cheeky smile" and had a love for children, having four daughters and two sons of his own.
Charlie Junior Rihari, 49
January 1, 1am: Charlie Rihari worked as a commercial painter but also helped with a family roofing company and had jobs in construction.
The 49-year-old father of three had spent New Year at a family party in Kerikeri and went for a walk when he was hit by a car.
His daughter Alannah Rihari said: "He was such a character, he was really funny.
"He was cheeky, he was such a positive person, a very humble person - he was never rude or anything.
