Victim planned to study politics

Breanna Charlotte Lattimore was moving home with plans to study politics when a spur-of-themoment decision cost her life.

The 24-year-old drowned while swimming in the river below the Maruia Falls, off State Highway 65 in the Tasman district, about 3pm on Saturday.

She had been living in Motueka on and off for a couple of years, but had packed up her life to return to Christchurch where she grew up.

Diane Lattimore said her daughter was more than just a ‘‘free spirit’’ – she was intelligent, opinionated, fluent in French, political and wanted to make a difference in the world.

Inspired by Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick, who at age 23 became the youngest MP to enter Parliament in 42 years, Breanna Lattimore planned to study political science at Canterbury University and was thinking about getting into journalism, Diane Lattimore said.

She said her daughter had arranged for a ride to Christchurch, and the man she was travelling with always stopped at Maruia Falls on the way.

The 11-metre waterfall, about 50 kilometres south of Murchison, is a popular stop-off on the trip between Christchurch to Nelson. Safety signage warns people not to enter the water.

Breanna Lattimore jumped in the river, below the falls, in her clothes. She got caught in an eddy, where the river water recirculates.

‘‘She just jumped in and was floating ... then all of a sudden she realised she was caught,’’ her mother, Diane Lattimore, said.

People were directing her to shore, and she was making progress, but she got caught in the circulating water again, she said.

‘‘She went under, then came back up, then went under.’’

A whitewater rescue team from Murchison found Breanna Lattimore’s body about 4pm.

Diane Lattimore last saw her daughter in October, when she came to Christchurch for her parents’ 25th wedding anniversary.

Breanna Lattimore was always home for important family events, or to recharge between travels and never missed Christmas Day at home.

Diane Lattimore had made her and her brother, Mason, 22, Santa sacks.

Breanna Lattimore sent her mother a Facebook message from Tapawera, south of Motueka, but Diane Lattimore did not see the message until after her daughter was dead.

‘‘It was too late to reply to her. I didn’t check Facebook until it was too late.’’

The family was barely coping after her death, Diane Lattimore said.

‘‘She was so excited to come home again.

‘‘I’ve got to think she’s just on a holiday somewhere or on another adventure.’’

A funeral was planned for Friday and a coroner would investigate her death.

Hedge fire suspicious

A hedgerow fire near Tuatapere is being treated as suspicious by police. A Tuatapere farmer called firefighters to his farm on Christmas Day after he came home to discover find two 50 metre sections of hedge cuttings on a farm on Groveburn Rd were on fire. Fire and Emergency principal rural fire officer Elton Smith said the rural firefighters were working with police who were investigating the fire. Where the fire started was easily accessible from the road, Smith said.

Crash victim named

Police have released the name of the woman who died following a singlevehicle crash in Clutha on December 19. She was 27-year-old Ebony Grace, of Dunedin. Grace died after it appeared the vehicle she was driving left the road and crashed into a paddock between Switzers Road and Moncurs Road about 11pm.

Fisherman found dead

A fisherman reported to have disappeared while wading in Golden Bay has been found dead. Queenstown man Mark Noel Salmons, 49, was in chest-deep water north of Pakawau when he got into trouble. Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand spokesman Mark Dittmer said the centre picked up a personal locator beacon alert at 2.51pm on Boxing Day. Police said emergency services recovered Salmon’s body from the water shortly afterwards. The death has been referred to the coroner.

Tree festival winners

The winner of the Christmas Tree Festival was Mitre 10 Mega. Second place went to GWD Holden and third to ILT Stadium Southland. This year the festival, hosted by the Waihopai City Lions club, had 33 Christmas trees designed by local businesses and community groups on display at Stadium Southland.

Curio Bay Big Dig

Once again the South Catlins Charitable Trust is holding the Big Dig at Curio Bay to raise funds for upgrading visitor facilities. A sand modelling competition would start today at 11am with the Big Dig treasure hunt at 1pm.