I was honoured and pleased to know Darcy as a friend.
Darcy was a modern day Maori warrior.
A peaceful Maori warrior who let his actions do the talking.
Not only did he win the world 240 Superstock championship twice but he was the only Rotorua driver to win that championship in Palmerston North.
Darcy then won it again the first time it moved to his hometown of Rotorua and he came close to winning it on other occasions too.
No wonder people did not hesitate to stand and pay their respect to Darcy at the hallowed Rotorua colosseum of tough speedway battles.
Darcy was also one of the youngest to ever win the highly valued New Zealand Superstock Championship and many other championships including the North Island, Auckland and Waikato championships.
Darcy was not only a warrior on the track.
He completed the Rotorua tough guys and girls event, Iron Maori events and ran two marathons.
He also lived up to his name and was an avid hunter, bringing kai home for the whanau, as any modern day Maori warrior would do.
So what lessons did I learn from being with Darcy Hunter Junior?
I saw him give up his love of driving for not only his wife and children but also for his younger brother Ken Hunter who took up the driving of their Superstock.
People were important to Darcy and he outlived that Maori proverb, He aha te mea nui? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
I observed a thinking man who would always chew over his words before speaking, but was quick to laugh on many occasions.
Many would not know this but Darcy was partially deaf, however he was one of the best listeners I ever met.
Kids loved him and his own children, nephews and nieces were always clambering over him because kids can tell when a person's wairua is a good one.
No matter what your age, ethnicity or position in life, I saw Darcy treat everyone the same.
He gave people the respect in life that we gave him in life and death.
Despite learning all of these things while being with my friend, the biggest thing I learned was humility.
He was the most humble person I ever met, and I have been privileged to meet a lot of people worldwide.
Darcy was a people's champion.
He was an example of how we ought to live our lives and treat each other.
He made the most of the gifts he was blessed to accumulate and is an encouragement for us to all do the same with the gifts we are blessed to receive.
Darcy would have been embarrassed by all this attention he has received since his passing. But that's another trait of being a modern day Maori warrior; people remember you, respect you and want to honour you.
Darcy, your final chequered flag is a green flag and green light for us to get on with life and make the most of the races in life ahead of us.
As one of your friends Steiny said at your funeral, RIP Darcy – Race in Peace Darcy.
Moe ra i runga i to moenga roa e hoa. Farewell warrior, Thanks Darcy.
Ngahihi o te ra is from Te Arawa and is an international leadership speaker, author and consultant. His website can be viewed at www.ngahibidois.com
