Tributes flowed at Jacks Point on Saturday afternoon during a memorial service for former greenkeeper Mark Hills, who died in Scotland last month.
Mr Hills (31) died on August 26, his wife, Nicola's, 30th birthday. He was buried in Takaka on Wednesday.
About 60 people attended Saturday's memorial, all wearing daffodils, sharing stories about Mr Hills.
Simon Foreshaw, of Queenstown, said he was growing in Lakes Resort in Pauanui when he met Mr Hills and quickly realised he was ''pretty special''.
When it came time to expand Jacks Point, Mr Hills had the skills required - ''determination, hard-work ethic, passion and knowledge''.
Jacks Point opened in November 2008 and director Mike Coburn said while Mr Hills had a lot of attributes, ''his work ethic was the greatest''.
Mr Coburn said Mr Hills once organised a rabbit shoot to help rid the course of an infestation. It finished at 3am and ''at 6am, Mark was back at work. That's the sort of man he was.''
In February 2011 Mr Hills married his ''soul mate'', Nicola, and the couple left New Zealand on their honeymoon, settling in Scotland.
The scratch golfer worked at St Andrews, where he completed more than 130 rounds.
The couple were due to return to New Zealand last April but Mr Hills had been diagnosed with bowel cancer two months earlier.
For the past six months Mrs Hills has lived in the hospital with her husband as the cancer spread through his body and into his spine.
She said Mr Hills was ''content and happy'' and had loved his life.
''I would cry and he would ask why ... and then he'd say 'It's going to be fine, I'll always be with you'.
''I've found a lot of comfort in that.''
Mrs Hills said that about two months ago, her husband was given a week to live, but he was determined to make it to her 30th birthday.
Just after midnight on August 26 she was given an inscribed bangle, the pair cuddled together and fell asleep. Mr Hills died during the night.
''I'm very fortunate that I've been surrounded by so many people and we've had such an amazing life - I was just so lucky to have so much of that life with him,'' she said.
''We've been together since we were 16. I don't really know how to be an adult without him.
''The messages of love and support that people have sent through to Mark and myself and our families, it's been really overwhelming.
''I really wanted to give everyone a really big thank-you.''
A second memorial service for Mr Hills will be held tomorrow at the Hauraki Golf Club in Ngatea.
