KEY POINTS:
The wife of a world-record-breaking fisherman killed in a "freakish" accident was able to rush to her husband's side and tell him how much she loved him as he laying dying under his overturned tractor.
Pete Emerson - who broke a world record in 2000 after reeling in a snapper reported to be 17kg - died on Sunday morning when the tractor he was driving to launch his charter boat went over the sea wall, rolled and crushed him. The 61-year-old will be farewelled at a service today.
Daughter Kirsty Millar said her mother Shirley Emerson was 200m from the Whangarei Heads accident scene. "She ran over and said her last thing to him and he moved his hand in recognition. She said 'come back to me, come back to me', 'no, no, no' she said it over and over. She told him she loved him."
Locals were left feeling empty after the unforeseen turn of events, triggered by a mechanical failure of the tractor's steering.
"It's a freakish accident," said Mrs Millar. "The steering failure could have happened going out the gate, in the driveway, it could have happened at any stage. But the fact that it happened at the sea wall area, it's just a tragedy."
Mrs Millar said her father was an icon in the community who ran a fishing charter for 13 years with his boat Basic Instinct.
A generous man, who had worked with the Department of Conservation and local iwi, he was known for staying up late into the night after a trip to fillet fish to give to friends, she said.
Mr Emerson regularly took groups to the Hen and Chicken Islands, and it was there that he caught the record-breaking snapper in March 2000.
The monster fish was hooked in 17m of water while Mr Emerson was using a dropper rig and a piece of bait on 15kg tackle. The snapper was first reported to be 17kg but when it was officially weighed two days later, it had lost about 2kg and came in at 14.4kg - 1kg heavier than the previous record in its category.
Son Marcus Emerson said his father was a special man, who passed on his love of the water. "He was more than just a father to me - he was a best, best mate as well."
Mr Emerson, one of 14 children in his family and a grandfather of three, was also a keen diver. A story of his encounter with an orca while diving made the Fishing News.
"He gave the killer whale his catchbag of goodies," said Mrs Millar. "[It was] just generosity and, I guess, a little trepidation."
