Widow's deck warning

Ray Taylor had so many plans before he died. Photo / Supplied

At the age of 63, Ray Taylor behaved like a man with his whole life ahead of him.

He had enrolled in a cellular biology course at Massey University, got 20 books out of the library every week to sate his hunger for learning, and was planning the family's next holiday in the Marlborough Sounds.

All those plans were ripped away when he fell through a rotten balustrade on the deck of his Rothesay Bay home.

He had been leaning over the railing to feed the birds last week, when it gave way and he fell 3 metres and died almost instantly.

Rhonda Taylor, his wife of 22 years, said the deck was added on to the house in the 1980s, and had seemed robust.

"It appeared okay but unknown to us it was rotten," she said. "I have had the rest of the deck checked and the front is solid but the piece of timber he fell through was a partition at the side which wasn't properly treated."

The couple had moved into the house 10 years ago, and it had passed all inspections.

"I would like to get the message out to people to check their railings. It was so sudden and we are all in shock.

"Even though Ray has had ongoing heart problems for the past 20 years he was still so full of life and still had a lot of life to live."

Rhonda said her husband, a semi-retired actuary, loved his family and loved learning.

He was a great mentor and tutor to his children and many of their friends. He loved swimming and walking in the bush and every year holidayed in the Marlborough Sounds. The couple had just returned from a holiday there.

"He loved his sport, particularly cricket and rugby and in his younger days he was a very talented cricket player. He was known to hit many sixes out of the park," Rhonda said.

"He learned to sing the national anthem in Maori and every time a game started he would stand up with his hand on his heart and proudly sing the national anthem in Maori and English - but he was not known for having a very tuneful singing voice."

In his younger days he protested against apartheid and nuclear war; more recently he campaigned against battery hen and sow crate farming.

He is survived by his children Faye and Russell, step-daughters Sophie and Cindy and grandchildren Hannah, Jack and Finnley.