"That used to be his Tuesday ritual, walking to Papamoa," she said.
Ms Whinau said her uncle had walked the route as many as 100 times and had never reported difficulties in the past. He always left the house between 5am and 6am.
Tuesday was the day his benefit money would clear.
Mr Rameka was the victim of an unprovoked attack in Mount Maunganui that resulted in him needing surgery to repair his fractured skull. The attack was featured in a television documentary in November 1991.
His sister, Monica Fraser, said since the attack, he had been losing his hearing and she wondered if he had failed to hear the train.
"He's got a plate in his head. He was beaten up and left for dead at the Mount around 20 years ago. After the operation his hearing was deteriorating. He always had his TV up loud and he's say, 'Sister, I can't hear it'," she said.
The family, which has suffered a double blow with another member dying the day before Mr Rameka, said they had been told by police the freight train that hit Mr Rameka was an eastbound train from Mount Maunganui.
The accident was not reported at the time because the driver was unaware it had occurred.
Ms Whinau said her uncle was great with all the family children.
"He was good. All our kids call him Koko or Koro. He was really good with kids. But he could keep to himself for some time-out, too," she said.
His hobby around the house was his greenhouse, she said, and he could spend hours in there.
"He was a good hand, a good builder, he had green hands," she said.
Mr Rameka is survived by three children in Rotorua and Australia.
