Tributes flow for 'supremely funny' Northland blind advocate George Phiskie

George Phiskie.

About 300 people attended George Phiskie's farewell in Waipū where laughter, more than tears, was the kind of tribute the man himself wanted.

A lively old music hall number which Phiskie chose some weeks before he died opened the ceremony at Waipū's Celtic Barn yesterday.

Called Ain't it lovely to be bloomin' well dead, it was an indication of the tone of anecdotes and tributes that would follow about a supremely funny man, a great prankster and a realist.

The green-painted table from Phiskies' kitchen took pride of place in front of the dais. He sat at that table every day at the farmhouse he lived in since 1950, and where he died on Monday.

Phiskie would turn it a little at 6pm every day so it didn't get worn out in one spot, daughter Sue Matthews said.

''Over his 96 years he lived a life of making the most of what he had. He took what he was given and he made it work.''

Matthews said her father's ''greatest legacy was his ability to go out and connect with people''.

Master of ceremonies Sam Matthews described his grandfather as ''a doer, an influencer, a dairy farmer, pig farmer, a source of knowledge'' and more.

Yesterday the family thanked the many people, including a fleet of drivers and caregivers, who had enabled Phiskie to carry on living independently.

Rural delivery contractor Steve Jones, who delivered and read Phiskies' mail to him for 30 years, told hilarious anecdotes about the man who became a close friend.

Neighbour Pat Cooper described seeing Phiskie for the first time, with a little girl about 3 years old sitting on his shoulders in Waipu.

Cooper said the child held on to his ears and appeared to be steering him. She thought it was a game, and it was some time later she learned he was blind.

Phiskie spent much of his time teaching other people ways to cope with blindness and helping others in many ways. He coped so well himself that often people didn't realise he was blind, Cooper said.

''Waipū has lost a man like no other,'' she said.

Maggie Harvey said her late father, also called George and also blind, was given the task of buddying 9-year-old Phiskie when he arrived at the Blind Foundation home, school and training centre at Parnell.

For years the Harvey family spent summer holidays at the Phiskie farm. Harvey described the concern of the two wives as two blind men drove a tractor around the farm with five kids on the tray.

Craig Jessop said he met Phiskie just after he lost his sight in 1980, when Phiskie taught him to use a cane. Later they got their first guide dogs around the same time.

Remarkably, Phiskie was a guide at Waipū Caves from 1960 to 2005. When his dog Georgie refused to go in one day, Phiskie decided the dog was right and he retired.

He and his late wife Marjery met when she worked at the Blind Foundation. They had three children, Ina, Sue and the late Leslie.

He often told the story of how the young married couple was holidaying in Northland when a boil on his backside forced a stop at Waipū. They liked the place so much, the next day they went out and bought the farm.