A Rotorua man determined to fulfil his "bucket list" after being given six months to live has died peacefully at his home surrounded by family and friends.
Last August, Peter Hirst was given months to live. In January he told the Rotorua Daily Post he had almost finished completing his bucket list with the last part being the donation of some religious texts to the Rotorua District Library. Mr Hirst, 69, died at the weekend. His bucket list included getting permission to be buried at his wife's marae, organising the building of a simple pine coffin, writing the programme for his funeral and donating a selection of Baha'i religious texts translated into Maori on behalf of the Rotorua Baha'i Community, of which Mr Hirst was the secretary.
He said the books had first been translated from Arabic and Persian to English and then into te reo Maori. The two Maori books donated were Ko Nga Kupu Huna a Bahaullah (The Hidden Words of Bahaullah) and Bahai Me Ta Wa Hou (Baha'i and the New Era). Mr Hirst is survived by his wife Tilly (nee Vercoe) and was father to Caroline and Brett and Tangata and Brent. His funeral is at Kearoa Marae in Horohoro today at 11am.
