Sir Colin Meads' daughter pays tribute to late father

Sir Colin Meads will be given one last hurrah at his regular haunt the Waitete Rugby Club on Sunday.

The family has planned to bring Meads' coffin to the Waitete Rugby Club where members could "have beersies" with their mate one last time - before the funeral on Monday.

Daughter Shelley Mitchell said the club had a special place in her father's heart.

"It's a chance for Waitete to have their farewell, for those ones he had those Sunday-School beers with, to get closer to day because they might not be able to on Monday.

"Waitete was special in Dad's heart, so we want to share him."

Mitchell said the tributes that have followed her father's death last Sunday had blown her away.

"It's hard to lose your dad, but when you know that he has touched so many people's hearts and you're hearing these stories, it warms your heart.

"I knew he had touched a lot of people and done a lot of things around the country and over the world a bit, but I had no idea that he was loved by so many people and that people would pay this much respect and have these sorts of tributes on his death."

She recalled as a child growing up on the Te Kuiti farm how people would come from all around the world to drive by and see where the popular rugby figure called home.

"People would come from overseas - Wales, Scotland, England - they'd found the road and drive up. Or you'd know that some people have just driven up the road, turned around and driven down and they were just finding out where Colin Meads lived, they didn't even call in."

Mitchell said Meads could never turn down a request for a public engagement.

"Even when he was doing lots of speaking engagements and everyone would ring up and ask him if he could do something. And he could never say no."

She said despite his obvious fame, as kids they never touted him around as a prize.

"We had to be humble."