Fiordland drowning tragedy: Tegan Ariel Chen’s parents find healing by planting trees

Tegan Chen (centre) and her brothers, Zac and Luke, and parents, Adrian Chen and Deb Fung, took a Milford Sound cruise the day before her death.

“She’d gone through the rapids. Adrian had seen her and followed her all the way down. She got caught up in debris,” Fung told Yahoo News Australia.

Tegan was later found “in the middle of the river” by backpackers who rushed to help, but were unable to save her.

Speaking to Ryan Bridge TODAY a year after Tegan’s death, her parents discussed learning to live with their loss.

“We still grapple with it every single day, just wondering why, why it was our Tegan, our beautiful little girl,” said Chen.

Fung said: “I’ve learnt to not be afraid of pain and not be afraid of the sadness, and then I feel her again and I know she’s there and I feel we’ll be okay.”

Tegan Chen (centre) with her parents and two older brothers.

The couple told Yahoo News Australia last week the offer from a close friend to plant a tree in honour of Tegan’s memory helped them begin to heal.

“It was the first healing kind of thing that someone could offer,” Fung said.

“The concept of a tree being planted for her, that meant something significant to us.”

The tree was through the Melbourne-based Living Legacy, which transforms cremated ashes into living memorials by infusing them into trees.

A tree planting dedication for Tegan Chen at her school, with parents Adrian Chen and Deb Fung.

The idea later inspired the couple to establish a similar venture, Piper’s Ridge Sanctuary, a 14ha memorial forest about two hours from Sydney.

Yahoo News Australia reported the sanctuary will open next month, offering families the opportunity to dedicate trees to loved ones while taking part in activities aimed at supporting the grieving process.

“I feel her here all the time,” Fung said.

“For Adrian and I, it’s been one of the most incredible journeys to do together.”