Family consoled by memories of their ‘best friend’
Through the long wait, staring out at the expanse of sea off Wellington’s rugged west coast, Grace Power kept her hopes up – her brother could still be alive.
But that hope was extinguished as tragic reality set in on Wednesday night. Zac Power, had died in the waters off Makara.
Gathered in Wellington yesterday, Power’s close-knit family remembered the 24-year-old from Taranaki as a larger-than-life mix of adventurer Bear Grylls and Kiwi chef Al Brown.
After a three-day search, Power’s body was found off Makara beach, a coastal village 20 minutes’ drive from the Wellington suburb of Karori.
His family said the popular and charismatic Taranaki sportsman had a lust for life, would do anything for family and friends, and had a soft spot for Makara, where he’d caught his first crayfish.
‘‘He died doing what he loved in the most beautiful spot,’’ his aunt, Liz van der Fritz, said.
Power’s brother Leon wanted to express the family’s deep gratitude to everyone who helped in the search, saying the response from the Makara community, friends, family, police and rescue teams was ‘‘overwhelming’’.
His mum Katy Roach said the Makara community was outstanding.
‘‘It was the old-school community sense of care and belonging,’’ she said.
‘‘Makara is a piece of paradise and he would have just pushed it to the max that day.’’
Pending the outcome of a coroner’s report, no one really knows what went wrong. But the family suspect Power may have blacked out in the shallows, coming back up from the deep – a common peril in free diving.
Grace was helped through the ordeal by hearing about the plight of Rob Hewitt, who aided the search.
The ex-Navy diver was beginning to decompose while still alive when he was rescued after three nights in the sea off Porirua’s coast in 2006.
She pictured her athletic, resourceful brother thinking to himself ‘‘I could do that’’, and said Hewitt’s survival story and kind words during the search had given her strength.
Power’s girlfriend of five years, Pip Barr, said the couple who met at Victoria University had been looking for a section to build on in the capital.
‘‘The hardest thing is going to be carrying on after all this,’’ Barr said.
His death will leave a huge hole but the family are staying strong, supporting one another.
They say they want something good to come from the tragedy, and having Barr as a daughter and sister was one of those positives.
‘‘We’ve all lost our best friend but he would want us to just carry on ... and just live your life to the fullest every day.’’ said Leon
"He died doing what he loved in the most beautiful spot."
Zac Power's aunt Liz van der Fritz