A colleague of French kayaker Raphael Soubrier (21) says workers at Queenstown's Fresh Choice supermarket were saddened to hear of his death just hours before a staff Christmas party on Tuesday night.
"It was sad for us. We couldn't believe it," the woman, who did not want to be named, said.
Mr Soubrier was a popular checkout operator at the supermarket who often spoke Portuguese, as his mother was Brazilian, she said.
"Everyone liked him. He was very friendly, very smart - a nice guy who was always welcoming and always happy."
She said he had planned to go back to France in February to continue his university studies.
Brazilian staff at the supermarket were hoping to send a card in Portuguese with their condolences to Mr Soubrier's mother.
A tribute was also planned for Mr Soubrier's friend and fellow Frenchman Yoann Firdion (24), who died alongside his friend on Monday night when the two were caught in 1m swells and gusty 20-knot winds on Lake Wakatipu.
Mr Firdion graduated from the New Zealand Language School Queenstown on Friday and had been planning a trip to the West Coast this week.
School managing director Guy Hughes said a memorial service for students and staff was planned on the Lake Wakatipu shore today.
"I think a lot of people are dealing with it personally.
"We're just trying to look after each other," he said.
