Izzie MacDonald died while hiking in Italy. Photo / Cammino Retico
According to alpine search and rescue organisation, Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico Veneto (SASV), it appeared MacDonald may have taken a wrong turn before falling.
Her daughters, Claire Cartwright and Miranda Aylward, said their mum was an adventurous woman who travelled the world, tramping and doing motorcycle tours.
During her travels, MacDonald would immerse herself in local culture, stay with local people and support local initiatives, Cartwright told the Herald.
“She would write incredible Facebook posts almost daily with photos updating her travels, and everybody back home sort of lived vicariously through her and learned all this stuff through her because she was passionate about it and wanted everyone to know.”
Izzie MacDonald during a motorcycle tour in Pakistan.
“She wasn’t there to go on holiday, she was there to learn and be part of it,” Aylward said.
The death came as a shock to MacDonald’s children, they said.
“Mum’s really capable and fit and a really sensible traveller.”
They were currently trying to bring her back to New Zealand.
Both sisters said they were grateful to the rescuers who exhausted massive amounts of resources to find their mother.
“It would be just devastation if she was never found or if nothing happened [after she went missing],” Cartwright said.
MacDonald departed for her current trip on May 10, travelling through England and Germany to hike and visit friends before arriving in Italy, the sisters said.
She was due to return at the end of June.
Aylward said her mother was a “generous, fun, and kind” person who inspired others to get off the couch and achieve their goals.
“She didn’t just sit around waiting for something to happen.”
Born in England, MacDonald moved to New Zealand at age 13, later raising her children in Helensville, north of Auckland.
With her children grown up, MacDonald went to work at the Tongariro National Park, where she met her partner John Jacobs.
The couple lived in Taumarunui, where MacDonald became a motorbike postie in the early 2000s.
Izzie MacDonald was an adventurous person who loved immersing herself in various cultures around the world, her daughters say.
Aylward said her mother had an “incredible ability to make friends wherever she went”.
“She would do anything for anyone, so a lot of people knew her not just from being a postie there [Taumarunui] or all around New Zealand, but from her volunteering and her giving her time and her giving her everything else.”
MacDonald’s neighbour of 10 years, Geoff Blackmore, said news of her death “hit hard”.
“[Those] who knew her understand very well that she died doing what she loved. She lived for travel and adventure.
“Every year she has been off to far-flung places on the planet seeking adventure, from Peru to Mongolia, to Tibet to Jordan, to Italy and to so many other places. Sometimes on a motorbike, but often on foot,” wrote Blackmore in a social media tribute.
Blackmore said MacDonald was a familiar face in the Taumarunui community.
“I just can’t believe you’re not coming home Izzie,” he said.
“Thank you for all the help you’ve given me over the years with so many things.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing assistance to the family of a New Zealander.
New Zealand Post acknowledged Izzie’s “valued contribution and service to her community”.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.”