KEY POINTS:
The family of the man found stabbed to death in a Rotorua forest warn that even if his murderers evade the justice system, they will eventually get what is coming to them.
Hemi Hohepa, 27, was found on Saturday afternoon in the Redwood Grove area of the Whakarewarewa Forest by two walkers.
Friends and family members have gathered at Tapuaeharuru Marae for Mr Hohepa's tangi.
One friend, who didn't want to be named, said he believed in karma. "Whoever did it, if they don't get it in this world they will get it in the next."
Eve Meihana, who grew up with Mr Hohepa, said the death was a "sad, sad way to go ... He wasn't perfect but who are we to judge? He didn't deserve this."
