KEY POINTS:
John Rowe had lived quietly since his beloved wife passed away 17 years ago, but the 78-year-old suffered a bloody and brutal end.
The retired Opotiki teacher and weatherman was found lying in a pool of blood in his bedroom, and is understood to have been bashed to
death.
His battered body was discovered on Tuesday morning by an 85-year-old neighbour who had come to take Mr Rowe to the doctor.
Instead, the neighbour found Mr Rowe's tidy green and white weatherboard home ransacked and his friend of 20 years lying prone across his bed with injuries to his head.
The neighbour, who did not want to be named, rushed from the house and called 111, telling the call-taker Mr Rowe had been murdered.
Police expect to reveal more today about Mr Rowe's injuries once an autopsy is completed.
Yesterday, they would say only that the widower and father of two adult children had suffered extensive and severe injuries and had been the victim of "a brutal crime".
They would not be drawn on a possible motive for the attack, but robbery is understood to be behind the killing.
The neighbour said officers had asked him to identify a wallet they had found which they believed was Mr Rowe's.
The man said he had heard people break into Mr Rowe's garage about 3am on Tuesday and unsuccessfully try to steal his new car. He had not known what the noise was at the time, but clicked when he saw Mr Rowe's garage door open at 7.15am.
The man said Mr Rowe was "a hell of a good neighbour" and they had looked after each other over the years.
"We had very much trust in one another," said the 85-year-old, who lost his wife two years ago and also lives alone.
He and Mr Rowe, who had not enjoyed good health in recent years, had seen each other daily. He loved classical music.
He said Mr Rowe became an introvert after his wife Phyllis died - "He never recovered from the loss of his good lady" - and it was horrifying to witness what the killer or killers had done to his frail friend.
"They didn't have to do that to that poor, defenceless, inoffensive man."
Another neighbour, Sammy Wikotu, said she was sickened to hear from police that Mr Rowe, whom she had known for 17 years, had been bashed to death.
"He was a good man who never uttered a bad word to anybody."
People living in the area said there were several tinny houses nearby and alcohol, marijuana and methamphetamine were all problems with youth.
In the wider Opotiki community, others also expressed their horror at the killing, saying Mr Rowe was "quiet, pleasant and unassuming", and his death saddened them deeply.
Mr Rowe came from Britain and served in the Merchant Marines before moving to Opotiki in 1968. There, he became a weatherman, taking readings for Niwa, and taught maths at Opotiki College for 18 years, before retiring in 1984. His children, who now live in Auckland, attended the school and his wife worked in the office.
A former student, Susan Woods, recalled Mr Rowe as "an old-school teacher" who always wore shorts and long socks and had a beard. His favourite colour was green and he always drove a green car.
Mr Rowe also liked pool, playing at the now-defunct Opotiki Club with a friend for an hour every afternoon until ill health took hold.
Thirty police officers are working on the case and will continue forensic examinations of Mr Rowe's Windsor St property with Environmental Science and Research investigators today.
Detective Inspector Rob Jones, who is heading the inquiry, urged anyone who saw or heard any suspicious activity in the area, or anyone with direct knowledge relating to Mr Rowe's death, to contact police.
"It's a brutal crime that's taken place in a small provincial town," he said.
"I can't speculate as to who's responsible for it, but I'm confident that someone or some people will know who's done this."
