Aucklander killed by truck in Rarotonga

A Mangere rugby club is in mourning after a member was killed on a Golden Oldies trip to Rarotonga.

Duncan Barrowman, a father of four, died after a truck hit him as he was returning to the hotel of his Manukau Rovers team.

The 43-year-old, a teammate of former All Black Frank Bunce, was attending the Air New Zealand Golden Oldies tournament, playing in an over-35s squad.

Cook Islands police are investigating whether the driver of the truck, a local, intentionally hit Mr Barrowman.

Manukau Rovers committee member Shaun Singleton said members who were walking with Mr Barrowman said the driver swerved off the road.

His teammates chased the driver, pulling him from the vehicle and restraining him until police arrived.

The driver had earlier had an altercation with members of the team in a bar and had been thrown out.

Mr Singleton said police had released the driver after questioning.

Mr Barrowman's body will be returned to New Zealand tonight for a post-mortem examination.

Mr Singleton received a text message early on Saturday morning from a teammate in Rarotonga telling him of the death.

He told the Herald the club and family were distraught at the sudden loss of a "gruff man with a heart of gold".

"Duncan was a guy with a big mouth and a very big heart. The team is pretty cut up. His work, his family and the rugby club were his life. "My thoughts go out to his family. He has four wee kiddies. The oldest is 10, the only one who comprehends what's going on."

Mr Barrowman's wife learned of his death when a club member stopped her as she was leaving home to take the children to their rugby matches.

"We had to stop them in the driveway. The police were supposed to deliver the bad news, and they hadn't by 9am... We felt we needed to tell them."

Mr Singleton said he had spent much of the past two days with Mr Barrowman's family, who were inconsolable.