Skeletal remains found in bushland north of Sydney have been identified as an elderly nature lover who went missing more than four years ago.

Two bushwalkers found the remains of Gaida Coote, 84, in the Ku-ring-gai wildflower garden near St Ives last weekend. A crime scene was established and a bag of gardening tools was found nearby in a search, New South Wales police said on Sunday.

A forensic examination identified the remains as Coote, who was expected to attend the garden on 3 December 2014.

A coronial inquest into Coote’s disappearance, held in 2016, heard the retired laboratory manager was adventurous, physically fit and “passionate about nature” to the point she helped conduct bush regeneration at the wildflower garden.

The coroner criticised police, at the time, for hesitating to file a missing persons report after Coote’s daughter reported the elderly woman missing.

Coote’s years were catching up with her and the coroner concluded Coote likely died of misadventure in the bush near the garden on the sweltering summer day.

Massive search efforts in the week that followed, which included police, SES, Rural Fire Service, National Parks, council employees, the bush care group, PolAir and the dog squad, failed to locate any sign of the missing woman in the rough terrain.

It was likely, deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame said, heavy thunderstorms that descended on the area shortly after Coote is believed to have died washed away any evidence and may have moved her remains out of sight.

A few months after Coote disappeared, Ravenswood school for girls mourned the loss of “one of our Golden Girls”.

A new report will be prepared for the coroner.