MORE than 10,000 miles away in New Zealand a car swerved and left the road and a North Yorkshire couple lost their only daughter.

Sam Green, 24, was killed in a car crash on the west coast of South Island.

Today, her devastated parents paid tribute to "the love of their lives".

Sam's father, Stewart, 58, of Brayton, near Selby, said: "She was an unbelievable kid, and we were so proud of her."

Sam was born in East Yorkshire, and brought up in Scarborough. In 1987 her parents took over the Wheatsheaf Inn in Hambleton, and a year later they moved to the Crooked Billet in Saxton, near Tadcaster.

Sam went to Saxton primary school and then Tadcaster Grammar School. She won a place at Liverpool John Moores University to study business administration, and graduated in 2002.

Sam's mother Gill, 53, said: "She obviously caught the travel bug moving around so much when she was young. We took her on holidays to Cypress, Yugoslavia, Jamaica and Thailand.

"She had an effervescent personality and hundreds of friends. She was also very sporty, and played hockey for Tadcaster Ladies."

Sam spent six months backpacking in Australia after her degree, then worked as assistant marketing manager at a vehicle parts firm near Leeds.

But after 18 months she decided to hand in her notice and go travelling again.

Mr Green, steward of Selby Golf Club, said: "Last December she announced she was going to New Zealand. She just got on the plane and went. She was a gutsy kid, but it was something she had to do there was no talking her out of it."

Sam left for New Zealand on January 23, and worked as a driver for a sky diving company.

Last week she went to meet her cousin, Peter, who had come out to visit her, and together with four other friends they planned to tour South Island and watch the Lions play Otago on Saturday.

But in the early hours of Thursday morning UK time, 2pm in New Zealand, the car Sam was driving crashed near the small town of Greymouth.

Senior Sergeant Clifford Paxton, of Greymouth Police, said their Toyota four-wheel drive vehicle swerved to avoid hitting a cow, left the road and rolled over into a paddock.

Sam was killed instantly, and the other four passengers received minor injuries.

Mrs Green said: "It's a terrible waste of a beautiful life. The only consolation we've got is that she lived her dream.

"She packed so much into her 24 years. My advice to youngsters like her is that if you have got a dream, do it. You never know when it will be taken away from you."

Updated: 10:11 Wednesday, June 22, 2005