David Roe, pictured, loved being in the bush, loved riding bikes, and loved making people feel good about themselves – but most of all he loved his family.

Tributes are flowing for the 52-year-old father-of-four following the recovery of his body from the Waioweka River this week, 18 days after he went missing while crossing the swollen river.

Mr Roe was crossing the river to return home on January 23 when he fell from his boat near the junction of Waiata Stream in the Waioweka Gorge.

Police and search teams located and recovered his body at approximately 9am on Tuesday.

“This has been a long, slow search, hindered at times by the weather and slips on SH2,” said Eastern Bay of Plenty Area Commander Inspector Nicky Cooney.

“We are grateful for the incredible support of Land Search and Rescue volunteers, local jet-boat and helicopter operators, iwi who provided knowledge of the river and surrounding terrain, and the Police National Dive Squad. This has truly been a team effort.”

Formal identification is under way, and Mr Roe’s death has been referred to the Coroner.

His son, Liam Roe, said the past weeks had been “incredibly painful” for their whānau and their focus had now shifted to funeral and tangi arrangements.

“When I was first informed about my father’s disappearance, I travelled to the Waioweka Gorge area to be present and do everything I could to support the situation,” Liam said.

“With my dad now found, our focus is on laying him to rest with dignity and love and supporting our whānau through this process.”

Liam describes his father as “honest, kind, and always there for everyone”.

He was creative, artistic, always doing something with his hands - whether painting, building, or fixing.

“He never stopped moving, he was always doing something,” Liam said.

He was a skilled handyman who loved living off the grid, seeking self-reliance and space away from the city. Mr Roe and his family had been renovating an older house in the Waioweka Gorge, clearing blackberry, replacing windows, and working on plumbing and guttering.

“He loved being in the bush, he loved riding bikes, and he loved making people feel good about themselves – especially through his work as a hairdresser,” Liam said.

“Most of all, he loved his kids, he loved his family.”

Mr Roe was a Seventh-day Adventist, passionate about God and his faith, and known to the Bay of Plenty business community as the founder of Inversehair, a sub-zero cordless hairstyling tool designed as an alternative to heat styling.

He had lived in Ōpōtiki since July last year after moving from Tauranga with his wife and youngest son.

The family had relied on boat crossings after a nearby swing bridge was damaged during heavy rain in the days before the incident, making daily life and access challenging.

During the search, the family covered costs including travel, accommodation, and a $1200 private helicopter service to access the remote area.

The family has updated a Givealittle page – givealittle.co.nz/cause/missing-father-waioweka-river-opotiki – to help recoup some of these expenses, support funeral costs, and assist the whānau in the coming weeks. Funeral arrangements are yet to be confirmed.

“Our whānau is deeply grateful to everyone who has offered kindness, shared information, and supported us throughout this journey,” Liam said.

“We’re also really thankful to all the people involved in the search – the volunteers, police, the jet-boat and helicopter operators, iwi, and everyone who helped in any way.”