The ground trembled like thunder rolling in from the sea, a low, ominous groan that grew into a deafening roar. Then came the scream that cut through the chaos—a young voice, urgent and commanding, piercing the morning air at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on January 23, 2026. “GO! GO NOW!” 15-year-old Max Furse-Kee yelled, his words raw with panic and instinct as the hillside above unleashed its fury. Earth, rocks, trees, and debris crashed down in a merciless wall, burying tents, caravans, and the ablution block in seconds. Some campers escaped because of that split-second warning. Max did not.
Witnesses, still shaking from the memory, recount the moment with chilling clarity. One survivor described hearing the boy’s shout just as the first cracks spiderwebbed across the slope. “It was like he knew before anyone else,” the camper told reporters, voice cracking. “He was yelling at people to run—his girlfriend, others nearby. Then the whole thing came down. His voice was gone in the roar.” Another eyewitness, who had been packing up nearby, said the warning gave her precious seconds to grab her child and sprint toward the beach. “If he hadn’t shouted, we might not have made it. He saved us—and he paid the ultimate price.”
Max Furse-Kee, a bright, kind-hearted student from Pakūranga College in East Auckland, was on a dream summer holiday with his girlfriend Sharon Maccanico, also 15 and from the same school. The pair had been enjoying the golden sands and laid-back vibe of Mount Maunganui, a sacred Māori site known as Mauao, where families flock every year for sun, surf, and memories. Max, a talented basketball player who had earned junior player of the year honors, was described by friends as joyful, loyal, and always ready to help. Little did anyone imagine his final act would be one of selfless heroism.
The landslide struck at approximately 9:31 a.m., triggered by days of relentless, record-breaking rain that saturated the slopes above the popular Beachside Holiday Park. Fire and Emergency New Zealand had received a 111 call about an earlier slip nearby as far back as 5:48 a.m.—nearly four hours before the fatal event—but no evacuation was ordered for the campground. Campers reported seeing council staff drive past smaller slips that morning without apparent alarm. Then, without further warning, the mountain gave way.
The slide smashed through everything in its path: caravans flipped like toys, vehicles crushed, the amenities block flattened under tonnes of mud and rubble. Screams filled the air immediately after—desperate cries of “Help us! Get us out!” from those trapped beneath. Bystanders and fellow holidaymakers rushed in, some climbing onto the roof of the partially buried toilet block with tools, frantically trying to dig through while voices called from below. For about 30 minutes, they worked feverishly, but the cries faded one by one. Police eventually called off the impromptu efforts due to the unstable ground and ongoing danger.
Six lives were lost in the catastrophe: Max and Sharon, both just weeks shy of turning 16; 50-year-old literacy coordinator Lisa Anne Maclennan; 20-year-old Swedish backpacker Måns Loke Bernhardsson; and longtime friends Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler and Susan Doreen Knowles, both 71. Human remains were located Friday evening, and by Sunday, January 25, police confirmed it was “highly unlikely” anyone survived the crushing force. Recovery operations, hampered by fresh rain and new cracks in the hillside, shifted to a grim retrieval phase, with efforts paused at times for safety.
Max’s mother, Hannah Furse, released a heartbreaking tribute that has resonated nationwide. “From the moment I first looked at his beautiful blue eyes almost 16 years ago, he had my whole heart—he was my sunshine,” she wrote. She described her son as an “incredible, kind, and beautiful human being,” a devoted big brother whose laughter lit up every room. “He brought so much joy, laughter, and light into our lives every single day.” The family had been excitedly planning his milestone 16th birthday this week; instead, they face an eternity without him.
The young hero’s warning shout has become the emotional epicenter of the tragedy. In vigils, online fundraisers (one for Max’s family has raised over $17,000), and social media tributes, people share the story of his final moments with awe and sorrow. “He didn’t just think of himself—he thought of everyone else,” one commenter wrote. Photos of Max smiling with his basketball trophy, hugging family, or laughing with Sharon circulate widely, turning the teen into a symbol of courage amid unimaginable horror.
The disaster has ignited fierce debate across New Zealand. Why was the campground not evacuated despite earlier slips? Tauranga City Council faces scrutiny over hazard assessments in a known landslide-prone area. WorkSafe has launched an investigation into duty-of-care failures at the holiday park. Climate experts point to extreme weather patterns—saturated soils from unprecedented rainfall—as a warning sign of worse to come. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited the site, praising responders while urging unity, but questions about prevention linger.
Survivors speak of guilt mixed with gratitude. One woman who escaped after hearing Max’s cry said she replays the moment endlessly: “I keep thinking—if he hadn’t yelled, my daughter and I…” Her voice trails off. Others describe the eerie silence that followed the initial screams, the heavy machinery now clawing at the debris, the flowers piling up at makeshift memorials near the cordoned-off beach.
Max Furse-Kee’s voice may have been swallowed by the landslide, but his warning echoes on. In a split second, a 15-year-old boy chose others over himself, giving strangers the chance to live while losing his own. As recovery continues under gray skies and the mountain looms silent once more, New Zealand mourns not just a life cut short, but a final act of bravery that saved others—and reminds us how fragile paradise can be.
The campground, once alive with summer laughter, stands scarred and quiet. Tributes continue to pour in, candles flicker at vigils, and a mother’s words mingle with a teen’s last shout: love, loss, and heroism intertwined forever in the shadow of Mauao.
