In the quiet coastal town of Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, a routine summer holiday turned into an unimaginable horror when a massive landslide crashed through the Beachside Holiday Park on a rainy Thursday morning. Triggered by relentless downpours saturating the slopes of Mauao, the wall of mud and debris swept away campervans, tents, and an ablution block, burying six people alive. Among them was 15-year-old Max Furse-Kee, a bright and joyful student from Pakūranga College in Auckland, who was spending time there with his girlfriend Sharon Maccanico, also 15 and from the same school.

Max’s mother, Hannah Furse, remains tormented by the images that no parent should ever witness. She cannot shake the vision of her son’s body being carefully pulled from the thick layers of mud and earth after days of desperate searches. “For many nights in a row, my son appeared in my dreams,” she confided, her words echoing the profound grief that has consumed her family. The moment rescuers unearthed him is seared into her mind—an endless replay of loss that invades her sleep and waking hours alike.

Max was described by his devastated mother as an “incredible, kind, and beautiful human being” who lit up every room he entered. He was a devoted big brother, a loving grandson, nephew, friend, teammate, and boyfriend. A talented young basketball player who had recently won a junior player of the year award, Max was on the cusp of turning 16—a milestone birthday the family had eagerly planned to celebrate. Instead, that joy was stolen in an instant. His mother spoke of how life changed “so suddenly and so completely,” leaving an irreplaceable void. “From the moment I first looked at his beautiful blue eyes almost 16 years ago, he had my whole heart—he was my sunshine.”

The tragedy unfolded rapidly. Emergency crews rushed to the scene amid ongoing rain and unstable ground, hearing faint calls for help from beneath the rubble in the initial hours. But as conditions worsened and further slips threatened, rescue shifted to recovery. Police later confirmed the grim reality: the six victims—Max, Sharon, 50-year-old literacy coordinator Lisa Maclennan, Swedish tourist 20-year-old Måns Loke Bernhardsson, and longtime friends Jacqualine Wheeler and Susan Knowles, both 71—were unlikely to be found alive. Human remains were located under the debris, but the sheer volume of mud made full recovery challenging and dangerous.

Communities across Auckland and the Bay of Plenty have rallied in sorrow. Tributes poured in at makeshift memorials near the site, with flowers, messages, and vigils honoring the lives lost. Pakūranga College mourned two of its own students, while friends remembered Max as kind, loving, and full of light. The disaster highlighted the deadly power of landslides in New Zealand’s rainy seasons, especially in popular holiday spots unprepared for such extreme weather.

For Hannah Furse, the pain is unrelenting. Dreams of her son offer fleeting comfort before reality crashes back. The family clings to memories of laughter, sports victories, and everyday moments now forever frozen in time. As recovery efforts continue amid warnings of more unstable slopes, one truth remains: a mother’s love endures, even through the darkest nights haunted by what was taken too soon.