Family of late Dunedin man Mike Hamblyn remember unique and adventurous character

Mike Hamblyn working on his book on the Taieri uplands in 2013. Photo / Otago Daily Times

A Dunedin man who drowned while on a fishing trip to the Waikouaiti River last week has been remembered as a unique character who was always making people laugh.

He was Mike Hamblyn (64), of Ōpoho.

Stepson Carl Sagsadt, of Sydney, said Hamblyn had been like a second father to him - a unique character always armed with a cheesy pun and a smile.

“He didn’t think people really liked him that much, but they did and we knew they did. I just wish he was here to see all the messages we’ve been receiving about him, because people really did like him immensely,” Sagsadt said.

Hamblyn had a long list of interests and loved to try new things, including charcoal sketches, painting, photography, weaving and astronomy.

He had been building his own telescope to complement his interest in astronomy. He also had a fascination with the natural world and loved animals.

“Anytime we saw a dog, he’d go bounding over to see if the dog was friendly, and they usually were for him,” Sagsadt said.

Hamblyn was prolific writer who had penned a book, Taieri, Blackrock, Lee Stream and Hindon: The Story of the Taieri Uplands, and had almost finished another about the history of Dunedin’s Newbolds Bookshop.

Fishing was a relatively new interest of his, and while crossing the Waikouaiti River on a trip to the Moeraki about three weeks ago, Hamblyn had decided he wanted to try to catch a trout there.

A day trip was planned for Wednesday last week with his wife of 33 years, Cheryl.

She dropped him off near Orbells Crossing and waited in the car with puzzles and a book.

They called each other a few times, and about 3pm, Hamblyn said he would head back soon, sounding a bit lost, disoriented and frustrated.

After that call, his phone went straight to voicemail, likely because it was submerged in water, Sagsadt said.

About 5pm, Cheryl drove to the fire station in Waikouaiti and informed police. Within 20 minutes, there were boots on the ground and a rescue helicopter had been called to help with search efforts.

The family was expecting Hamblyn to show up tired, wet and with a few stories to tell, but were left in disbelief when police turned up around midnight to inform them he had been found dead.

The official cause of death was drowning, but he had also suffered a head injury.

“We believe he wouldn’t have been conscious when he fell into the water,” Sagsadt said.

The water had been shallow and calm, and it appeared Hamblyn might have fallen down a bank or tripped, although they would probably never know for sure.

The family were immensely grateful to the locals of Waikouaiti, and for the efforts of Search and Rescue volunteers, police, firefighters and the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust, Sagsadt said.