Robyn McKenzie's eldest son died in a boating accident, she was diagnosed with an incurable cancer and her husband and son were charged with rape, all within four years.
But in the High Court at Hamilton this week, 27 not guilty verdicts were read out in the trial of her husband
and son.
Mrs McKenzie fell to the floor crying and hoped it was the end of the family's run of bad luck.
Her husband, Graeme, 48, and son Kyle, 25, were acquitted of sexual violation, threatening to kill and assault charges relating to a Matamata girl, now 15.
It had been a hellish four years, said the McKenzies, who now live in Rotorua.
Their 22-year-old son Lachlan and close friend Reg Shaw drowned when the Tauranga fishing boat Endeavour 3 sank in the Bay of Islands in August 1998.
Their bodies have never been recovered.
Soon after the deaths, Mrs McKenzie discovered that the chemotherapy she was receiving for her cancer was not working.
The bombshell came when Mr McKenzie and Kyle were accused of rape - two days before the anniversary of Lachlan's death.
"I've often wondered what mirror we broke," said Mrs McKenzie.
She said the trial had destroyed every memory they had of Lachlan, had destroyed Mr McKenzie's job as a stock agent and had wrecked their Tauranga fishing charter business, Albe's Charters.
The teenager alleged the incidents took place on a seat erected in Lachlan's memory at the Whakatane wharf.
Mr McKenzie said the family home, which had been open to anyone, was now closed.
"People don't realise anyone can be a target for these kind of accusations."
- NZPA
