Easter's sole road death brings family's holiday to tragic end

Published on Stuff.co.nz and in the Waikato Times

Monday is the day Jacque Marsden, her husband and 12-year-old son were due to return to their Rotorua lifestyle-block.

They would have just finished a week cycling around the South Island, one of Marsden's favourite activities. The family were riding the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail, the longest of its kind in New Zealand, covering 300km of beautiful southern landscapes. Now, the family will spend Monday laying her to rest - the day of her return has turned into the day of her final farewell. The Marsden family trip was tragically cut short after two cars collided on Easter Sunday, killing Jacque Marsden instantly and injuring four others. She was the sole casaulty on the roads over the Easter period. Riding in the car behind her was Marsden's husband of 13 years, Rob, and their 12-year-old son, Daniel. Marsden's sister-in-law, Anna Smart, had spoken to Rob Marsden about the day he lost his wife.

"Rob was first on the scene. There was about 20 seconds between the impact and him getting to the car.[Those on the scene] performed CPR for 45 minutes on the roadside, but there was nothing they could have done."

For Rob, his memory of that day will never go away as he stayed at the site of the crash waiting for police and ambulances and helicopters.

"He can remember every single detail. For most people I think it is a blur but he was right there."

The family were meant to come back from their epic cycling trip on Monday, April 13, which is now the day of Marsden's funeral.

Marsden's sister, Liz, has taken on a lot of the responsibility of planning the funeral which will be attended by Lucy the dog who Marsden always described as the perfect pup, as well as plenty of family and friends.

"She was just happy and healthy, and they were in the middle of a holiday and just having this amazing time together and with friends. Within a split instant it's over... that is really hard to comprehend for everybody".

For the family right now, the shock is the most prolific feeling.

"That sort of news happens to somebody else. Sometimes you get time to prepare but we had no time to prepare. For her to be here and suddenly not here so quickly and so brutally . th. th. is just mortifying," said Smart.

Social media had been covered in updates from Marsden and the group from their trip.

"There were loads of photos on Instagram. They were just having the best, fun time and it was over in an instant. [Rob] said if there was anything he could say so no one else had to be in the seat he was in right now, he would say it."

Her son, Daniel, is still trying to wrap his head around what happened to his mother.

"There's lots of questions, just trying to understand it all, when really there's not much of an answer.

"He has good moments, and moments where he's really sad. But he's just a really lovely country kid ... just kids can't grieve the same."

Marsden had been thinking of going back to study as she didn't have the day-to-day care of her mother who passed away just three weeks ago.

"We had both looked into studying counselling ... she would have been brilliant. I think it was just who she was. It was just Jacque and she was one of the family. Everything reminds us of Jacque right now," said Smart.

One-of-five children, Marsden is described by family and friends as a keen mountainbiker.

"They were real homebodies and loved being together. Just a little family unit. Her and [Rob] were inseparable. They talked several times a day when he was at work ... they did everything together and they loved being active – they would ride distances most people would only drive on a long trip."

The couple met in 1999 and he was immediately impressed by her after they went mountainbiking on their first date.

"He was feeling pretty fit and they got to the Redwoods in Rotorua and she took off and set the pace. He thought it was quite fast but he was keeping up. When they got to the hills he thought she would slow down ... she didn't. She just ploughed on through."

Smart laughed fondly, remembering Marsden's love of the outdoors.

Whether she was walking her golden retriever, Lucy, cycling New Zealand's impressive hills and mountains or just taking a dip in freezing cold lakes, the 50-year-old was always taking herself outside.

She was also a great baker.

"Jacque was a very nurturing person. She devoted her time to their farm, her son and her mother She was just a really caring, nice, nurturing person who devoted everything to her family."

The family wanted to thank all the emergency services who helped at the scene.

"The rescue services down there were just amazing and [Rob] is exceptionally grateful to them all," said Smart.