Family and friends have farewelled long-term Wānaka resident Andrew Strawson, who lost his fight with cancer in December at age 52.

Andrew, who grew up in Auckland, made Lake Hāwea his home in 2000.

A keen snowboarder, Andrew was also one of the first snow kiters in New Zealand after coming across the sport in Canada more than 30 years ago and teaching himself how to do it, including making his own gear.

“He chased snow and wind,” friend Brendan Holloway said at the funeral .

Andrew was one of the first kiteboarders in Wānaka.

Andrew was one of the first people to kiteboard in Wānaka, and he and his friend Jimmy Rimmer (of Hāwea Flat) set up a kiteboarding school in Aitutaki in the Cook Islands in 2005, having discovered the island’s lagoon offered perfect conditions for the sport.

The pair built a prefabricated kiteboard centre in Andrew’s shed in Lake Hāwea, and shipped it to Auckland. Getting all their gear to Aitutaki was a challenging task but the friends eventually set up a popular base for South Pacific Kiteboarding. 

The area is now a world-renowned kiteboard destination.

Andrew had an “inquisitive and innovative mind”, his father said, and had set up a scaffolding business in Auckland (Waitakere Scaffolding) in his twenties. He established Wānaka Scaffolding in 2001.

Jimmy managed the business successfully for Andrew through the two years of his illness.

“He built the life he always dreamed of” in Wānaka, Andrew’s sister Claire said at the funeral.

“He always had big bold ideas. He worked hard but he always knew how to enjoy himself,” she said.

Andrew collected and restored many Chrysler Valiants over the years, and the funeral procession included a line up of Valiants.

Andrew is survived by his children Joe (21) and Willow (19).

PHOTOS: Supplied