It began simply - a woman hanging a few shells her husband had collected and polished around a mirror in their Bluff home.
It ended on New Year's Eve, nearly 40 years on, with the death of Fred Flutey.
Mr Flutey and his wife, Myrtle, who died in 2000, became famous around the world for the Paua House they created and lived in on Bluff's main street.
In retirement the couple welcomed more than a million visitors to their home - people who came to see the display of paua shells that adorned their house.
Mr Flutey kept the house open to the public up until his death on Monday, nine days short of his 98th birthday.
Born in 1904, Mr Flutey grew up in Woodend, in Canterbury. He left home at 12 and moved to Southland about two years later.
Mr Flutey met the woman who would be his wife for more than 71 years when they were both working for the Port Craig Timber Company.
The couple moved to Bluff in 1940, where they spent the rest of their lives together.
The chairman of the Bluff Community Board, Rex Powley, said Mr and Mrs Flutey had been tremendous ambassadors for Bluff, Southland and New Zealand.
"The Paua House has been a very important focal point in Bluff and played an important role in attracting visitors to the town," he said.
Bluff promotions officer Lindsay Beer said Mr Flutey was one of the great personalities in Bluff.
There was no doubt visitors had been drawn to the town just to see the Paua House, he said.
Television appearances by the Fluteys had also put Bluff on the map, he said.
Mr Flutey is survived by his five children, 22 grandchildren and 44 great-grandchildren.
- NZPA
Bluff's Paua House man dies at 97
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