Warnings rebuffed by tourist

German tourist Marina Liebl desperately wanted to explore New Zealand and meet new people.

A few days into her trip, she died when her vehicle collided with an oncoming car in Southland about 9.40pm on Sunday.

The driver of the other car, Jesse Shortland, and his wife, Samantha, died at the scene.

Their 8-month-old daughter, Skylar, and 2-year-old son, Heath, were pulled from their car seats at the crash scene. The toddler had moderate injuries, the baby had minor injuries.

Speaking from Nuremberg, Germany, Liebl’s former colleague at engineering and electronics company Bosch, Mevlut Mufti, told the 22-year-old wanted to travel to New Zealand by herself.

‘‘She had told me for a long time that she would like to go to New Zealand to explore it and meet many new people. She was looking for adventure.’’

Mufti said he and other colleagues warned her against travelling alone. ‘‘I told her she would be too young and inexperienced in a foreign country. I said it could be dangerous if you were travelling alone.’’

‘‘We are all very traumatised about her death and about the family who have also died in the accident.’’

Liebl posted on a backpackers’ Facebook page on October 2 asking for advice on which jacket was necessary for the next few months while she travelled the country.

She said she flew into the country on Tuesday.

She posted again on October 5 to say she was in Queenstown.

Three days later she was killed on the Dipton-Winton Highway, State Highway 6, near Ladbrook Rd.