In the remote coastal settlement of Marokopa in New Zealand’s Waikato region, pōhutukawa trees – lush green giants with flowers like tiny crimson fireworks – have bloomed. For many, the red blossom of the nation’s native Christmas tree marks the holiday season and family gatherings. But for one family, the flowers will signal a painful anniversary – a third Christmas spent without three of their youngest members.
Just before Christmas two years ago, Tom Phillips fled into the Waikato wilderness with his children Ember, 7, Maverick, 9, and Jayda, 10, following a dispute with their mother.
