New Zealand’s Most Controversial Disappearance

It’s New Year’s Eve, 1997, and 17-year-old Olivia Hope is getting ready for a party at Furneaux Lodge, a beautiful old residence that sits at the head of one of the bays and coves that make up The Marlborough Sounds. A picturesque holiday spot on the northern end of New Zealand’s south island where the bush meets the sea. The lodge is only accessible by boat, so Olivia, her older sister, and their friends have booked a chartered yacht called Tamarack that will deliver them to the celebrations after an afternoon basking in the sun. Furneaux is the place to be on New Years and the local teenagers are getting ready to dance away the night with 15-hundred other partygoers. Over in Punga Cove, just across the inlet, Ben Smart is partying the afternoon away with mates. He too has plans to join the fun at Furneaux and hitches a ride over on a boat as the party gets started. But what happens to Ben and Olivia after the clock strikes midnight, will become one of the most high-profile and hotly contested murder investigations New Zealand has ever seen. CREDITS Guest: Journalist Mike White Host: Gemma Bath Executive Producer: Gia Moylan Audio Producers: Rhiannon Mooney CONTACT US Tell us what you think of the show via email at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Just by reading or listening to our content, you’re helping to fund girls in schools in some of the most disadvantaged countries in the world - through our partnership with Room to Read. We’re currently funding 300 girls in school every day and our aim is to get to 1,000. Find out more about Mamamia at mamamia.com.au Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.