In the aftermath of a catastrophic natural disaster that struck a popular tourist island, a mother and daughter found solace in an unexpected act of kindness—a taxi driver who has since become an integral part of their lives.
The tragedy unfolded on December 9, 2019, when a volcanic eruption on White Island, located off New Zealand’s North Island, resulted in the loss of 22 lives, all tourists on a cruise ship excursion. Among the victims were Marie Browitt’s husband, Paul, aged 55, and her 21-year-old daughter, Krystal. Her elder daughter, Steph, endured severe injuries, with burns covering more than 70% of her body.
Steph, who was 23 at the time, faced a grueling recovery process, spending six months in intensive care at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital. Her mother, Marie, remained steadfastly by her side, navigating her own sea of grief.
Yet, in those rare moments when Marie needed to leave Steph’s bedside, she found an unexpected support in a chance encounter. On a seemingly ordinary day, Azamatlihan, a taxi driver, picked up Marie, who was visibly overcome with emotion.
Moved by her tears, Azamatlihan provided not just transportation but comfort, offering companionship during a time of profound loss. This simple act of kindness has since forged a lasting bond between him and the Browitt family, extending beyond the initial gesture to a relationship akin to family.
Azamatlihan was working a regular shift as a taxi driver when he picked up Marie, who began crying in his car.
‘I asked, ‘Why are you crying?’ and she said, ‘We are victims of the volcano’. I was shocked. They’ve came back up from hell,’ Azamatlihan told 60 Minutes on Sunday.
Marie recalled: ‘He said, ‘Here’s my number. Any time of day, any time of night, I don’t care what time it is – you ring me and I will be there’. And he was.’
Marie (left) and Steph Browitt (right) lost two family members in the eruption at White Island in 2019. Steph suffered extensive burns in the tragedy and spent months in hospital
Melbourne taxi driver Azamatlihan (above) helped ferry the mother and daughter to and from hospital for several years as Steph underwent intensive treatment
The eruption at White Island in 2019 (above) claimed the lives of 22 tourists, including 17 Australians who had been on a cruise ship excursion
For several years Azamatlihan was the mother and daughter’s main transport to and from the hospital.
‘They see me like a family member. I have another family, you know. My own family and them,’ Azamatlihan said.
The Browitts have also remembered the kindness shown to them by the locals of Whakatāne, the town closest to White Island.
When the conditions were deemed too dangerous for helicopters to be sent to the volcanic island immediately after the 2019 eruption, several local helicopter pilots took off from the town to perform their own rescues.
Among those rescues was that of Krystal.
Marie and Steph were invited back to Whakatāne and got to meet with the heroes who witnessed their loved one’s last moments.
The mother finally got to have her most haunting questions answered – who was the last person to hold her daughter? Who picked her up off the island?
‘I don’t know what it was about the beautiful people, the warmth that we were immersed in and the love that surrounded us, but I felt some sort of peace,’ Marie said.
Stephanie lost her father Paul in the blast on December 9, 2019
‘I came back different. I can’t explain it, I can’t put it to words.
‘I want to go back. I wished I could live there so I could feel close to my child.
‘I feel a pull to this island. I really do.’
Marie was the only member of the family to stay on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship when the volcano erupted.
Stephanie said because her mother wasn’t physically hurt by the eruption, nobody can understand the true depth of her pain and suffering.
She previously described how her mother had to pack the family’s holiday luggage and bring it back to their empty Melbourne home that was usually filled with love and laughter.
‘Then eventually she had to organise both my dad and sisters funeral. She went home alone in a taxi upon burying her family,’ she said.
Thirteen parties were charged over the the 22 people who died in the volcanic eruption. Of those, 17 were Australians.
Stephanie also lost her younger sister Krystal in the eruption
Tours to White Island continued despite warnings of a heightened risk of eruption, sparking an investigation into the volcano.
‘This deeply tragic event was unexpected. That does not mean it was unforeseeable,’ WorkSafe NZ chief executive Phil Parkes said.
‘There were 47 people on the island at the time of the eruption, all of whom suffered serious injuries and trauma.’
