The families of two young boys who died in a farm accident while on a Christmas holiday in New Zealand say their deaths will leave them "forever broken".
Key points:
- The boys were thrown into a waterhole when their off-road vehicle crashed
- Their bodies were found the next day with the help of a dive team
- Family members say their hearts are "shattered beyond repair"
Six-year-old Perth boy Sonny, and his four-year-old cousin Eddie from Auckland, were at a family farm property in Peria in far north New Zealand.
Family members said the boys were riding in an off-road vehicle on December 29 when it crashed into a boulder and threw them into a waterhole.
They said the children's bodies were found the next day with the help of a dive team.
In a Facebook post, Sonny's stepmother Destiny Swann paid tribute to both boys.
"Sonny, our little sunshine, our bug-man, our fruit-bat, our sunny-bunny, our cheeky-monkey," she wrote.
"We'll always love you forever, even if you can't see us and even on our darkest of days.
"Eddie was our gorgeous little boy who was so cheeky and cheerful, full of adventure, and so full of light he would brighten every room he walked into."
Family fundraising for funerals
In a GoFundMe page, the boys' aunty Mahdi-Jhan Sandford said their bodies could not be found until the next day.
"No words can capture the magnitude of loss we feel, the unique spark that made Sonny and Eddie so extraordinarily special to us all," she said.
"Losing you both has shattered hearts beyond repair. Our hearts are forever broken for you and our family and are unmendable."
Relatives are fundraising for the cost of the boys' funerals, and to repatriate Sonny's body back to Australia.
Family and friends have offered their support in posts and comments on social media.
An aunt, Rani Livingstone, described the two boys as the "embodiment of adventure and joy".
"Their days were filled with laughter, exploration, and the innocent freedom of childhood," she said.
"No words can do justice to the loss and ripples that will be everlasting throughout NZ, Australia, and beyond."
In a statement, New Zealand Police extended their condolences to the family of the children, and said they were making enquiries on behalf of the coroner.
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