Three teenagers who died when their car plunged over the edge of the Karangahake Gorge belonged to the same Wellington surf club and were travelling to a surf carnival in Waihi.
The driver of the car, Sam Anthony Michael Delany, 17, and the front-seat passenger, Mathew James Ireland, 16,died at the scene at 12.05 am on Saturday.
The 14-year-old rear-seat passenger, Damian Cross, died yesterday morning after being transferred from Waikato Hospital to the Starship in Auckland suffering from severe head injuries.
Sam Delany, an apprentice plumber, was described by his grandmother Rose Delany yesterday as a boy with a "big smile, popular with everybody."
She said Sam's friends had been gathering at the Delanys' Titahi Bay home over the weekend.
"It's so sad to see the young people crying and grieving so," Mrs Delany said. "He was a great kid. It's just tragic to have his life gone."
Her grandson was an enthusiastic surf club rower, as were both the other boys. All three belonged to the Titahi Bay Surf Club.
The crash happened as the three were travelling from Paeroa to Waihi. Their car left the road on a sharp bend just south of the Karangahake Bridge where a foot-high concrete wall runs along the river side of the road.
The car went over the bank just before the wall begins. It plunged 12m and landed on its roof.
Sergeant Craig Smith of Paeroa said police received calls within minutes of the crash from other travellers in the gorge.
He said alcohol was not a factor and it was not known what had caused the car to leave the road.
A special accident unit from Hamilton is investigating.
