A small Waikato town is in a state of shock after learning the Kiwi who drowned while on holiday in Rarotonga was one of their own.

Mother of one Kelly Maree Sain, 49, a pharmacy worker from Te Aroha, has been described by loved ones as “the life of the party”.

Matamata-Piako District Mayor Adrienne Wilcock told the Herald Sain had lived in the close-knit community for a long time.

“Te Aroha community are shocked and saddened to learn of her death.

“Our condolences to her family and friends at this sad time.”

Community members have described Sain - who worked at Te Aroha Pharmacy - as a “lovely” and “helpful lady” who had a “beautiful kind soul”.

A Givealittle page set up to help with funeral costs and bring Sain home, says her family and friends’ “world turned upside down”.

She was “a mother, a cousin, an aunty, a co-worker and a friend to many”, it said. By 9.30am, the page had raised $20,596.

“This isn’t goodbye Kelly,” the page said.

“This is see you on the other side. We love you so much and we are all broken.”

The page said all the money would be donated to Sain’s son to help with the cost of bringing his Mum home.

“This is going to cost a fair bit of money and this is the last thing the family need to be stressing about on top of organising her farewell in the middle of grieving.”

The tragic incident occurred at Edgewater Resort and Spa in Rarotonga earlier this week.

Another Kiwi tourist who witnessed the harrowing scenes told the Herald she and her family had been enjoying drinks at the resort on Sunday (Monday NZT) evening when things took a sudden turn.

“We were just outside having sundowners at the restaurant when we noticed some people reacting - people started standing up.

“I went down to the edge of the restaurant at the beach and I saw a man pulling a woman out of the water.

“There were already a couple of people there...and I ran back and said, ‘Are there nurses or doctors’?”

The Edgewater Resort in Rarotonga is hugely popular with international tourists. Photo / NZME

A man called back that his wife - a paramedic - had just run down to the scene to help.

“They tried to resuscitate her probably for a good couple of hours. The ambulance...came, but it was too late. It was pretty traumatic.”

Cook Islands Police Service confirmed the incident happened at the Edgewater Resort in the Arorangi District on the island of Rarotonga.

In a statement released online, local authorities said: “The weekend closed with another tragic incident when a drowning at Edgewater Resort was reported to Police.

“The victim was a 49-year-old female from New Zealand.”

The circumstances of the incident are not yet known.

However, the witness acknowledged that the lagoon where the woman had been seen had hidden dangers, despite being shallow.

The witness also told the Herald the victim had been travelling with another woman.

It is understood the pair had arrived either the same day or the day before the tragic incident.

Before the witness and her family caught a flight back home to New Zealand yesterday, they saw the second woman speaking to authorities at the resort.

“We didn’t want to approach her because we were pretty emotional and we didn’t want to get her going - she looked as though she had sort of composed herself.

“I couldn’t stop crying... all I see is her.”

“But she was just wandering around aimlessly at the resort, sitting in different spots and staring out at the sea. I think she was totally shell-shocked.”

The witness acknowledged that the incident had affected her and her family as a result too.

“We’re okay. I was pretty traumatic that night - I couldn’t stop crying,” she said, becoming emotional.

“My husband said I shouldn’t have gone and seen because all I see is her. It’s obviously affected me more than I thought.

“[After the incident], when we saw people come back and shake their heads, I just said a prayer for her.”

The Edgewater Resort & Spa is one of the Cook Islands’ most well-known and popular resorts with tourists around the world.

Its lush surroundings and prime location near the beach have made it a firm favourite with travellers and it regularly features in top-rated lists on hotel booking and travel websites.

Akula Sharma is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2022. She has previously worked at the Gisborne Herald.