It was a brutal crime which ended the life of a quiet 78-year-old man in the small eastern Bay of Plenty township of Opotiki, say police.
John Rowe was found lying on his bed with horrific head injuries by a neighbour who had arrived to take him to the doctor on Tuesday morning.
The slaying shocked the small town which seldom had to face such horrific crimes, said police.
However, it left his 85-year-old neighbour and friend of 20 years who found the badly beaten body absolutely shocked.
The home had been ransacked and robbery appeared to be behind the attack.
Mr Rowe, a retired teacher and seaman with two adult children, had lived a quiet life since his wife had died 17 years ago, said The New Zealand Herald today.
When he was found emergency services received a frantic call from his neighbour who said he had been murdered.
Police and ambulance officers arrived to find Mr Rowe with "extensive injuries" but the exact cause of his death was unlikely to be confirmed until a post mortem examination was completed in Auckland today.
He had been the victim of a brutal crime, said Detective Inspector Rob Jones.
Neighbours heard people break into Mr Rowe's garage about 3am on Tuesday, apparently in an attempt to steal his car.
Mr Rowe was "a hell of a good neighbour" said one of his neighbours and they had looked after each other over the years.
"We had very much trust in one another," the 85-year-old, who lost his wife two years ago and also lived alone, told the Herald.
He said Mr Rowe had never recovered from the death of his wife Phyllis and it was horrifying to see what the killer or killers had done to his frail friend
"They didn't have to do that to that poor, defenceless, inoffensive man."
Locals said there were several tinny houses nearby and alcohol, marijuana and methamphetamine were all problems with youth.
Mr Rowe moved to Opotiki in 1968. He taught maths at Opotiki College for 18 years, before retiring in 1984.
A police team of 30 was working on the case and sifting through the house for clues.
Police urged anyone who saw or heard any suspicious activity in the area, or who knew anything about Mr Rowe's slaying, to contact them.
