Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • 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

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

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

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

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 / Hawkes Bay Today

Mum creates fairy garden in Dannevirke in memory of 4-year-old son

Leanne Warr
By Leanne Warr
Editor - Bush Telegraph·Hawkes Bay Today·
10 May, 2023 09:48 PM2 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

Dylan, 4, died in a crash near Dannevirke earlier this year. Photo / Supplied

Dylan, 4, died in a crash near Dannevirke earlier this year. Photo / Supplied

When Chloe Foster suggested going to Napier’s Park Island last year to see the fairy doors, her son Dylan was excited by the idea.

The event, put on in October by Napier City Council, included 15 fairy doors.

“He would go to every different door and find a little gift for the fairies,” Foster said.

Dylan was 4 when he tragically lost his life in a crash just over three months ago.

Chloe Foster with Dylan. Photo / Supplied
Chloe Foster with Dylan. Photo / Supplied
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was travelling with his father when the crash happened near the Mangatera Dog Park just off State Highway 2 in Dannevirke.

Foster, from Napier, hadn’t realised the crash had happened so close to the dog park, but when she wanted to do something in her son’s memory, creating a fairy garden at the park seemed fitting.

She said Dylan was obsessed with dogs, but the fairy doors seemed to spark his imagination.

“He was always hunting for fairies. It became our thing.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A friend took her to the dog park and down the walkway to the clearing where they found a little spot that would be perfect.

“It was the perfect little Dylan space,” Foster said.

Chloe Foster created the garden in Dylan's memory. Photo / Supplied
Chloe Foster created the garden in Dylan's memory. Photo / Supplied

With permission from those who maintained the park, Foster and her friend Amy Wardlaw hid hand-painted rocks, mushrooms and fairy doors.

Foster created a plaque and her father made the doors from wood and horseshoes.

The doors were made using wood and horseshoes. Photo / Supplied
The doors were made using wood and horseshoes. Photo / Supplied
The plaque for Dylan. Photo / Supplied
The plaque for Dylan. Photo / Supplied

She wanted it to be a space where people could go and even contribute a gift of their own for the fairies.

“It’s touched a lot of people,” Foster said.

Dylan seemed to be very in tune with nature, having an understanding that was beyond his years, she said.

They had volunteered for Cape Sanctuary where Dylan would help his mum and nana to feed the kaka and the morning of the crash he had gone to the SPCA with his nana to make a donation.

“He absolutely loved all animals.”

Dylan was fearless on the BMX bike. He also loved dogs. Photo / Supplied
Dylan was fearless on the BMX bike. He also loved dogs. Photo / Supplied

Foster said her son had no fear, especially when taking on the hills at the Hawke’s Bay BMX club.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“He was so brave and wanted to give everything a go.”

She raised him as a single mum, moving from Ashhurst to Napier when he was 6 months old.

“He was my whole life.”



Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Teen girl charged with interfering in murder case of 15-year-old Napier school boy

17 Jun 04:44 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Finding forever home for old farming dogs getting harder - charity

17 Jun 04:41 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke’s Bay Black Sticks goal-up in Nations Cup defence

17 Jun 04:05 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Teen girl charged with interfering in murder case of 15-year-old Napier school boy

Teen girl charged with interfering in murder case of 15-year-old Napier school boy

17 Jun 04:44 AM

Police say a witness was approached and allegedly threatened on May 12.

Finding forever home for old farming dogs getting harder - charity

Finding forever home for old farming dogs getting harder - charity

17 Jun 04:41 AM
Hawke’s Bay Black Sticks goal-up in Nations Cup defence

Hawke’s Bay Black Sticks goal-up in Nations Cup defence

17 Jun 04:05 AM
'Perfect chance': Homeowner's Matariki lightshow a new tradition for Napier

'Perfect chance': Homeowner's Matariki lightshow a new tradition for Napier

17 Jun 12:02 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

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