Woman who vanished at Christmas leaves her family bereft

June Sowerby was a keen tramper and a strong swimmer.

If June Sowerby's family could be granted a wish, it would be to have her home for Christmas. And if that is not to be, they would at least like to find her body.

The 58-year-old Palmerston North woman went for a walk last Christmas Eve while holidaying at Turangi, and never returned. She vanished in daylight from a public carpark, near the Tongariro River bridge on State Highway 1 at the northern entrance to the town.

Almost a year on, Ms Sowerby's disappearance remains unsolved, and her family are divided on whether she somehow slipped into the river and drowned or met a more sinister end. Police have no logical answer. Intensive searching uncovered no clues to her fate.

"It is still a mystery," said acting Detective Sergeant Andy Allan of the Taupo police.

The missing person file remained open and any "snippets of information" which continued to come in were all investigated.

"Sad to say, there is very little more we can do," he said.

"It would be great to find her one way or another, whether it's foul play, suicide or something as innocent as a heart attack causing her to fall into the river.

"It would be good to be able to satisfy the family."

One of Ms Sowerby's nieces, Carol Davis, of Taupo, who was to have spent last Christmas Day with her aunt, will be back at Turangi this Christmas "to remember her".

"We will go to the Tongariro Crossing which Aunty June was looking forward to walking on Christmas Day and where we were to meet her.

"But the weather was horrible and I arranged to pick her up on Boxing Day instead."

Ms Davis said June Sowerby, who was close to all her nieces and nephews and their children, was "a great fan of Christmas".

A beneficiary, she made gifts for family members, "special things".

The big, active, outgoing woman was a strong swimmer and a keen tramper.

She was wearing sandals and had a jersey wrapped round her when she went for her Christmas Eve stroll.

"My daughter and I are going to take some balloons this Christmas and let them go in her memory," said Ms Davis.

She was certain her aunt was dead but could not believe she would take her own life or deliberately go off with no money or possessions and without telling anyone.

Had Ms Sowerby had an accident she would have been found and her body, or at least some item of clothing, should have turned up in the river or later in Lake Taupo, said Ms Davis, who returned to the Turangi area repeatedly to search in vain.

June Sowerby's elder sister, Colleen Gray of Wanganui, prefers to believe she died accidentally and her body lies deep down in the huge lake.

"I have no proof, so why should I presume someone else has been involved in this tragedy?" Mrs Gray said.

"You can't change anything. I have faith we will have my sister's body to put to rest one day and I will not give up on that."

Police and the family are pinning their hopes on holidaymakers returning to Turangi this Christmas rekindling some memory that may help resolve the case.