Grieving widower thanks Tauranga community for their support

The scene where a Celebrity Solstice passenger was killed after a collision with a truck while on a cycling tour on Tuesday. Photo/George Novak.

The grieving husband of an American tourist killed while on a cycling tour says he wants to thank the Tauranga community for their condolences and outpouring of support.

The 71-year-old New York woman died at the scene near the Tauranga Harbour Bridge onramp on Dive Crescent on Tuesday.

The couple had been travelling on the cruise ship Celebrity Solstice which berthed at the Port of Tauranga at 8am that day.

She was on a harbourside bike tour with several other passengers when the collision occurred at about midday.

Legacy Funerals director Mike Savage spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times on behalf of the dead woman's husband.

"He is very grateful to the community for all [of] their condolences and the outpouring of support he has received since his wife's death. He is very appreciative and wants to say a huge thank you to the people of Tauranga.''

Mr Savage said arrangements were being made to fly the woman's body back to New York where they live, and it was expected that would take place in the middle of next week.

Since the tragedy there has been calls from cyclist advocates pushing for major upgrades to Tauranga's cycling network.

Glen Crowther, of the Sustainable Business Network's Bike Now, earlier said Tauranga's cycleways needed to be made safer and separated from other traffic.

Heidi Hughes from Bike Mount agreed.

She said it was no longer appropriate to have cyclists and cars sharing the same roads.