A YOUNG farmer who told friends he was “living the dream” during a spell working in New Zealand died after crashing his car and attempting to walk home along a road in the dark, an inquest has heard.

Michael William Spink, 24, was hit by a car as he walked along State Highway 27, north of Matamata - near to where the Hobbiton set was created for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films - shortly after midnight on January 21 last year.

Mr Spink, who grew up on a dairy farm in Scotton, near Knaresborough, had travelled to New Zealand to take a job on a dairy farm in June 2016.

After his death, his friend Ed Margerison, from Preston, who worked on a neighbouring farm in New Zealand at the same time, said Mr Spink often told people he was living the dream. He regularly socialised and was extremely happy to be in New Zealand doing what he loved.

He told The Northern Echo: "Mike used to say to me everyday, "we're living the dream, aren't we? We were full on living the dream. We had a good life out there."

An inquest at Harrogate Justice Centre heard Mr Spink had been drinking with friends in Matamata and was driving his vehicle when it came off the road and came to rest in a ditch about 10km from his home in Walton.

Assistant coroner Jonathan Heath read a report from New Zealand coroner Gordon McTenga, who concluded Mr Spink’s death had been accidental.

It stated: “Shortly before midnight he was walking down state highway 27 when he was struck from behind by Jhovanna Armstrong. He did not see him, and he was unable to avoid a collision.”

The report stated the poor lighting in the country area, Mr Spink’s dark clothing and alcohol intake were all contributory factors in the collision. A toxicology report stated he was over the New Zealand drink-drive limit, which is 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood - lower than the 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood limit in England.

North Yorkshire Coroner Mr Heath said he was satisfied the farmer’s death had been the result of a road traffic collision.

Last year, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society launched the Michael Spink Memorial Perpetual Trophy in the young farmer’s honour. He had been a member of Knaresborough Young Farmers who raised more than £8,000 in his memory.

The trophy was launched at the Great Yorkshire Show with his family and presented to the winner of the Ayrshire heifer class. Mr Spink had looked after Ayrshire cattle since the age of eight and he had brought some of his own before going to New Zealand, which were to form the nucleus of his own herd when he returned to the UK.