Nine-year-old Genevieve Lewis, killed in a waterskiing accident on Lake Taupo yesterday, had been a regular at the lake - swimming, tubing behind the family boat or sometimes waterskiing.
She had been coming for years to her grandparents' place on the shores of Lake Taupo for the summer, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Genevieve was water skiing yesterday behind her parents' boat at Waipahihi Bay, about 2km south of Taupo's centre, when she fell off her skis.
The accident occurred just a couple of hundred metres from the family holiday home.
Genevieve's parents were turning their boat around to come back to her when another boat, coming from a different direction, ran over the top of her, Detective Senior Sergeant Todd Pearce, of Taupo CIB, said.
The girl's injuries were very serious and she died at the scene despite the efforts of St John Ambulance officers, Mr Pearce said.
Genevieve, who liked riding motorbikes on her family farm in Masterton in the Wairarapa, suffered severe lacerations and cuts.
"We are at the early stages of our investigation and it will take at least another day or two before we have a full understanding of what has happened.
"This has been a terrible loss to this family and we are doing everything we can to support them through this dreadful time."
Mr Pearce said the driver of the boat stopped and helped the girl and her family.
He had been interviewed by police this afternoon.
Genevieve's maternal grandparents, Martin and Margaret Genet, were among family members who gathered at Waipahihi Bay yesterday afternoon.
Mr Genet, 77, of Dannevirke, said the tragedy was horrible. The family had just had a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday.
His granddaughter held a special place in his heart, he said.
Mrs Genet said she did not know where Genevieve's funeral would be held, but her body was being taken back to Palmerston North, possibly today.
Meanwhile, a witness to the accident, Tauranga roofing contractor Raymond Coxhead said he saw two boats, a white ski boat towing a skier and a red and white boat, 400 to 500 metres from shore.
Mr Coxhead was resealing a roof overlooking Two Mile Bay, the Dominion Post reported.
The boats were 50 to 100m apart and heading in the same direction when he saw the skier fall off, he said.
"For some reason the red and white boat turned towards the shore, and towards the skier in the water. Then it stopped suddenly."
Mr Coxhead said he thought the boat had run over someone.
"Someone from the boat jumped in and they helped get the body out of the water."
Mr Pearce said it was not yet known whether criminal charges would be laid.
The boat that hit Genevieve had been seized for a marine engineer's examination.
