'Our nature boy': Mum's grief after teen killed in West Auckland crash

A teenager who died in a crash in West Auckland has been remembered for his love of family and nature, his sense of justice and his “soft, sensitive heart”. 

Markus McMahon died at the scene after two vehicles crashed on Red Hills Rd in the West Auckland suburb of Massey just before noon on September 27. Five others were hurt – one seriously – in the crash, which a police spokesperson said was still being investigated. 

The 18-year-old’s mother Sarah Bultema shared with the Herald the eulogy she gave for the son she called “our Nature Boy”, after an upbringing that began around Auckland’s West Coast gave him a strong connection with family and nature. 

“He was our Nature Boy. He loved being outdoors and had a real appreciation for the world around him.” 

Her son was particularly fascinated with sharks ... “powerful, graceful, fearless, misunderstood creatures that were both beautiful and fierce”, Bultema said. 

“There was something of Markus in that too. He could be strong and fierce on the outside, but underneath was that soft, sensitive heart.” 

Markus McMahon, top left, pictured on a family tramping trip in Taranaki early last month with his mother Sarah Bultema, younger sister Sunny, 9, and older brother Remi, 19. 

Markus wasn’t someone who could stand by if he believed someone had been treated unfairly, she said. 

“He had a Viking fighter spirit. He was strong-willed, loud, unapologetically himself … but underneath that strength was an incredibly soft heart.” 

Her son also “loved deeply”, and was “the best hugger”. 

“That tenderness was especially evident in the way he loved his family. He loved his brother and sisters dearly, and his relationship with his older brother Remi was particularly special. They were best friends.” 

Markus McMahon, left, pictured as a child with his older brother Remi, who he was particularly close to. 

Markus “had things he wanted from life” and was working hard to create a good future, Bultema said. 

“He was growing into a young man who was beginning to understand the kind of life he wanted and the person he wanted to become.” 

His death was “so absolutely senseless and incomprehensible”, she told mourners at Markus’ funeral in Waikumete Cemetery’s main chapel last Friday. 

“The pain is real, it is raw, and we are all struggling to make sense of what has happened … today we don’t need to understand why. We don’t need to find a lesson or a reason. 

“We simply need to remember Markus.” 

A Givealittle page has been set up to support Sarah Bultema, left, after her son Markus McMahon, right, died in a car crash in Massey on September 27. The pair are pictured with daughter and sister Sunny, 9. 

The teen’s dad couldn’t be contacted by the Herald, but posted video and photos on social media honouring his son. 

Meanwhile, Bultema’s friend Catherine Newton has set up a Givealittle to support Markus’ grieving mother, who was also recently made redundant from her job. 

“She’s such a humble and sweet person … she’s not someone that like’s [receiving] charity, but she’s the first one to give it. 

“I just want to see that she gets some support while she handles her grief.” 

Cherie Howie joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.