The man who died when a boat capsized off Auckland’s Waiheke Island earlier this month was a single dad who had just graduated from his auto-technician course.
Edwin Bains Kumar, 47, from Flatbush, died after the boat he was on overturned in White’s Bay on Auckland’s Waiheke Island on December 8.
His sister, Susan Kumar, said he was the only brother in his family of four siblings and was a “loving son who lived his life to the fullest”.
He had lived with his parents all his life to look after them and was a real family man, she said.
Susan said a passion for fishing was something the whole family shared, and was passed down by her grandparents. Kumar’s grandfather also died as a result of an accident while fishing at the age of 47.
Kumar loved his family over everything else, Susan said.
Their mother has been left devastated after the death of her only son.
“He had this attitude like ‘I can do anything, I can fight the world’,” Susan said
“He had a good strong mind, he was very intelligent.”
He was a passionate fisherman and went fishing often, Susan said, which is what he was doing when disaster struck. She still does not know what went wrong.
“He went out, I think at 12 o’clock in the day and then we found out at 2 o’clock in the morning that he had passed,” Susan said.
Kumar was with a friend, who escaped the ordeal with minor injuries.
He was a mechanic among the other jobs he worked to support his kids and parents before he decided to advance his career by doing auto-technician training.
“He loved fixing cars that’s what he did, he’s got a Skyline GT-R 95 or something.”
He had graduated the course just two days before he decided to take a friend fishing last week.
The rescue operation began about 7.20pm, with the Westpac rescue helicopter and police Eagle helicopter standing by as the Trillian Trust Rescue boat plucked two people from the water in Whites Bay, a Coastguard spokesperson said.
Maritime NZ has started an investigation into the incident, a spokesman said.
Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.
Three of the whales succumbed on the shore.