Jared Wilford's voice is quiet, each word sounds heavy and you can tell this is a conversation he never expected to have – or ever wanted to have.

But when asked to describe what his lost love Ashleigh Dargusch was like Jared's voice suddenly springs to life as he goes back through happy memories of the time the couple shared.

Asheligh Dargusch and Jared Wilford. Ashleigh died tragically from injuries sustained after falling about seven metres on to rocks in the Kauaeranga Valley in the Coromandel last December. Photo: Supplied

Ashleigh, a 'happy and bubbly” 23-year-old born and bred Australian woman loved animals, especially her dog Dexter who she adopted from the Wacol RSPCA Animal Shelter in Queensland.

She loved baking and made great cupcakes. Often Jared would ride the train into work with a tin of baked goods on his lap and an instruction in his ear to make sure all his colleagues received a share.

Ashleigh was a social butterfly who loved her family, her friends and her church of which she was actively involved in; she never missed a Sunday or youth group meeting or church band practice.

She loved life and lived it to the fullest, says Jared.

The majority of us never met Ashleigh, what we know is her life was tragically cut short after falling about seven metres down a cliff in the Kauaeranga Valley on the Coromandel Peninsula last December.

The couple were swimming at a popular spot called ‘The Pole House' when part of the track collapsed from underneath Ashleigh, causing her to fall headfirst onto the rocks below.

She was rushed to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition and transferred to its Intensive Care Unit, where she would sadly pass away as a result of her injuries a week later.

Speaking from Brisbane where he now lives, the former Thames local can probably recount a thousand happy memories, but the truth is December 27 is now forever etched into his heart.

'The last time I was there [at the Pole House] I was holding Ashleigh as we waited for the emergency team to get to us,” Jared reflects painfully. 'It was the last place she was really alive.”

'Everyone's trying to carry on as best they can, you can't really sit and linger on things. But I have moments that are bad and I know Ashleigh's family has the same thing.

'But the world doesn't stop unfortunately and you've got to keep going as best as you can I suppose.”

As part of his own healing process and in an effort to save others from the heartache of losing a loved one, Jared is wanting to repair the track to the pole house and make it safer for users.

To do this he wants to bring the track away from the cliff edge, clear some of the foliage that obscures potential hazards, plus add steps and reinforcing walls where needed.

He has booked his air flight back to New Zealand and is aiming to carry out the work from May 29 to June 13.

'There's heaps of little things that we noticed; when the emergency team got there they had difficulty getting down and all the stuff. It was just a nightmare.”

But materials will be needed to carry out the repair work so Jared is asking the community for its help.

He has started a crowdfunding campaign on the Go Fund Me website with the goal of raising $2,000 for those materials.

Any funds raised over that total will be donated to the Wacol RSPCA Animal Shelter in Queensland, who Ashleigh was actively involved in supporting and fundraising for.

Jared is also wanting to create a small memorial rock garden with a photo Ashleigh as a way of remembering and honouring her.

Jared says he is yet to approach the Thames-Coromandel District Council about his plans to repair the track.

'I know it'd be an expensive venture for the council because there's a ton of swimming holes in the Kauaeranga Valley, and it'd be impossible for them to do all those tracks.

'People are always going to jump off cliffs [into the water] for fun, I just don't want somebody wandering down the track and have it go out from underneath them, it's absolutely horrifying.”

At the time of writing, the Go Fund Me has received 21 donations and raised a total of $650 of $2,000.

Jared would like to thank everyone who has made a contribution to the campaign so far, and also has a special message for the people of Thames.

'My parents still live there and they have had a lot of people expressing their condolences.

'It's a real nice sense of community, a lot of people knew me but none of them knew Ashleigh so it was just a lovely gesture from the town's people really.”

To make a donation towards Ashleigh's Memorial Path visit Jared's Go Fund Me webpage at: www.gofundme.com/olmzow

Ashleigh with the other love of her life, Dexter the dog. Photo: Supplied