Special-ops soldier Sergeant Wayne Taylor farewelled in private ceremony at Papakura Military Camp

Funeral service for Sergeant Wayne Taylor at Papakura Military Camp.

The special operations squad manager who died during a training exercise off Coromandel Peninsula was remembered as an all-round, genuine top bloke at a private funeral today.

Family, friends and colleagues of Sergeant Wayne Taylor bid him farewell at Papakura Military Camp in Auckland.

Sergeant Taylor, known as "Tails", died during a maritime counter-terrorism training exercise off the Coromandel Peninsula on October 13.

An Auckland Rescue Helicopter was sent to a vessel near Channel Island about 6.30am.

A witness at Port Jackson in the Coromandel told Radio New Zealand that he had seen a soldier brought ashore there in an inflatable boat, accompanied by about 15 people in black, some of them armed.

The witness told the broadcaster he had been told the soldiers had been training on a boat off Channel Rock and that the soldier had fallen.

He described how ambulances arrived and he saw paramedics work for about 90 minutes in an attempt to revive the soldier.

In a statement, a family spokesperson said the husband, father, son, son-in-law, brother, grandson, uncle, friend, boss, colleague and comrade was an all-round, genuine top bloke.

"He was caring, kind, considerate, supportive, honest, loyal, respectful, compassionate, stern, fair and accepting.

"He was a loving husband, a devoted father, a loyal friend and a trustworthy colleague. He loved his Army life and worked hard to get where he was - but he also loved a good family adventure, not only with his immediate family but with his extended whānau of friends.

Funeral service for Sergeant Wayne Taylor at Papakura Military Camp.

"His untimely passing has left a huge hole. He will be sorely missed," the statement said.

Brigadier Chris Parsons, Deputy Chief of Army, attended the service this morning.

"Tails and I served together in Afghanistan. He was an outstanding family man and a skilled operator," Brigadier Parsons said.

"It hurts when we lose one of our own. Tails served his country with honour and to a professional standard only few attain. It is a deeply sad privilege to be at Papakura, to pay our respects to his family and see him join New Zealand's pantheon of warriors who shall never grow old."

Sergeant Taylor joined the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment as a member of the Army Reserve in 1993. He was one of the early pioneers of the Army's Commandos and he deployed on operations to East Timor and Afghanistan during his military career.

He is survived by his wife and four children.

A Givealittle page set up two days ago to help Sergeant Taylor's family has raised $11,969 from 49 donors.

Said one donor, Anna P: "As a partner to someone in the NZDF this sad news definitely hit home. My heart and thoughts go out to his family, friends and fellow group members."