"He was always friendly and chatty. He'd talk to anyone.
"He was a typical Kiwi bloke. He enjoyed hunting and diving; anything in the outdoors."
He loved children, though he never had any of his own, Rata said.
"He was a family man. He enjoyed children and treated his three stepchildren like they were his own.
"He was always keen to do things with them; hunting and that sort of thing."
Rata said he didn't know the passenger and hadn't attempted to make contact with him.
Investigators won't say why it took seven hours for the man -- who didn't require medical attention -- to contact police.
Police have launched a serious crash investigation to determine how the car entered the river.
The funeral for Smith will be held at his home in Tokanui on tomorrow afternoon.