Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

ANZAC Day: Dog's death brings more sadness

Bay of Plenty Times
23 Apr, 2012 10:45 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

It's a day that stirs the emotions for many New Zealanders, but the Anzac holiday period is particularly tough on Lance Corporal Sammie Tapara.

Two years ago she lost her partner, 21-year-old Private Te Tahuna Daniel Tahapeehi, when he was killed in a traffic accident the day after Anzac Day. His motorbike collided with a car outside Linton Military Base, where he was stationed, near Palmerston North.

His death followed the 2010 Anzac Day helicopter crash. Three crewmen died when their Iroquois helicopter hit a hill at Pukerua Bay, about 40km north of Wellington.

On Friday night last week, Ms Tapara had to put down her 4-year-old black labrador Girl after she was hit by a speeding car outside her house in Greerton Rd.

Girl had been Mr Tahapeehi's pet, which Ms Tapara had looked after since he died.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She will bury the dog's ashes at her partner's grave site on his anniversary this week.

"I lost my partner two years ago. His anniversary is Thursday and that was his dog. So it wasn't good timing.

"I get her ashes in a couple of days and I'm going to bury her with Tahz.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I've had her since she was a pup really. People say it's just a dog but it's still part of the family," she said.

Ms Tapara said drivers used her street as a shortcut to beat traffic on Cameron Rd, with boy racers and speeding drivers hooning past her house daily.

Girl became the first victim of the speeding drivers, she said, but she worried about the children living on the street, including her son to Mr Tahapeehi, Arikirau.

"She must have got out - I wasn't mad at that, them hitting her. That was my fault that she got out. But it was them speeding off [that angered me]," she said.

"I've got a two-and-a-half year-old boy. It's scary because if he runs out for some reason - to chase a ball or something - he'd have no chance really."

Ms Tapara said the 35kg dog would have done damage to the vehicle that struck her, dragging the dog up the road as it braked, before again speeding off.

"We heard brakes screeching and then yelping for a while. [We went outside and] all our neighbours were walking around the street. They said someone's hit a dog and dragged it. I think she would have done a lot of damage to the car as well because she was a big dog," she said.

"I'd just like more speed bumps down this area. We've all got kids here."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty TimesUpdated

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM

Lily Arabin, 34, died in a car crash on the Tauranga Eastern Link on June 26.

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

04 Jul 12:24 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP