Family and friends have paid tribute to Mere Paranihi and Nathan Olson, who died in a motorbike crash on the Napier-Taupo Rd. Photo / Facebook
The mother of one of two motorcyclists killed in a collision with a logging truck has paid tribute to the "intense love" the pair had for life and nature.
Mere Paranihi, 29, and Nathan Olson, 40, both of Hastings, died after the crash on the intersection of State Highway 5,
the Napier-Taupo Rd, and Rukumoana Rd, near Te Pohue, on Friday morning.
The truck driver, a man in his 60s, was burned in the attempt to save them. He was discharged from Hawke's Bay Hospital later on Friday.
Cheryl Paranihi, the mother of Mere Paranihi, wrote on Facebook that she was organising a farewell celebration of their lives at Te Awanga beach, giving a "chance to collect every sweet memory of them and help each other create a pathway to healing and filling the gap their absence has made in all our lives".
"Te Awanga is a beautiful part of the Bay and because Nathan and Mere shared an intense love of life, nature, animals and good friends, it is fitting that we spend the day together on a coastline seeing the sunset and sunrise together in a place that reflects their love."
