Joseph Day: Dunedin man grieves for his groomsman of only a month ago

Joseph Day and his fiancee Kelsey Mulcahy in January 2018. Photo / Supplied

One month separated celebration and mourning for a Dunedin man, after the groomsman he knew since the age of 5 was found dead in Bristol.

Cricketer Josh Tasman-Jones, of Dunedin, said he went to primary school with Joseph Day, of Auckland, who was recently found dead by British police after he went missing in mysterious circumstances four days ago in Bristol.

Their 26-year friendship was recently cemented when Day was a groomsman at Tasman-Jones' wedding in Dunedin on April 2.

Tasman-Jones said Day was "genuine and loyal".

His friend was a kind, softly spoken man who lived by his morals - the sort of person you could trust to be there for you.

Otago top-order batsman Josh Tasman-Jones during a training session at the Edgar Centre. Photo / Gerard O'Brien, File

Whenever Tasman-Jones returned to Auckland, Day would drop everything so they could catch up over a beer.

Tasman-Jones had been in contact with Day's fiancee and his mother, who were both travelling over to Bristol.

They were heartbroken.

His friend would leave a massive hole, but also many special memories.

The two of them had gone travelling together to America after they finished school.

When they were 21, the two of them had gone on a trip with about 20 others to Thailand.

A Givealittle page to help the family return Joseph Day to New Zealand quickly passed $80,000 donations. Photo / Supplied

More recently, the pair had gone to the United States in 2019 with their partners and visited the Coachella music festival.

A Givealittle page was started yesterday to fundraise to bring Day's body back to New Zealand and support his family.

By Thursday morning, 1463 people had donated $87,451 of its $100,000 goal.

Police have asked the public to avoid speculation and respect the privacy of Day's family.

Day formerly worked at TVNZ as a cameraman. A spokesperson for TVNZ has said Day was a much-loved member of the broadcaster's whānau.

"He was an immensely talented man, full of warmth and kindness. We are devastated by this news. Our thoughts are with his family during this terrible time. We will be respecting their right to privacy and will not be commenting further," the company said.

TVNZ Sunday correspondent Mark Crysell also wrote on Twitter that Day, alongside his dad Pete, was a valued team member.

"His beautiful eye and deep soul became pictures that lifted our stories to another level," said Crysell.