Police investigating Helen Gregory's death. Photo: RNZ / Ashleigh McCaull
A Wellington grandmother who died of a "violent act" has been described as a "kind and caring friend to many".
Helen Gregory, 79, was found dead at her Khandallah property on Baroda Street last Wednesday.
Police said they were following leads in the homicide investigation.
The obituary, published in The Post, said Gregory was a dearly loved mother, mother-in-law and treasured grandmother.
It said a private funeral would be held with a memorial service at a later date.
Earlier, RNZ spoke to neighbours on Baroda Street who said the mood in the area was eerie and sad and they were trying to come to grips with the homicide investigation.
One neighbour, who did not want to be identified, said Gregory - who went to school with their aunty - spent a lot of her time gardening.
They said she was very old-school and people would have mixed opinions about her - she either liked you, or she did not.
The amount of gardening she did and the layout and size of her hilly property helped keep her fit and out of a retirement home, they said.
The neighbour said Gregory's only visitors were her daughter or, as she got older, her gardener.
Steve Watt said residents on Baroda Street were anxious for answers in the next few days.
"It's pretty sad really to know that someone in your own street and neighbour, especially an older lady living on her own, that that's happened you know to someone like that especially in a quiet little street like this. But I suppose there's a few concerned residents but they just want to know what the full story is."
Watt has lived on Baroda Street for 20 years, and said he only saw Gregory a handful of times. He said she was a quiet lady who kept to herself.
Police did not think there was ongoing risk to the public, and anyone with information should contact them.
A police guard was posted outside the house on Tuesday, with about five uniformed and plainclothed officers coming and going.
Hammering could be heard from the cream weatherboard home, which sits up high and looks down on the rest of the street. The curtains were drawn. Cut branches were piled up tidily in the front garden.
Locals shocked
A man who knew Gregory for decades said she was a keen churchgoer who loved her family.
Craig Dunshea grew up on the same street, went to primary school with her daughter and now owns a deli on the corner. He said she was a lovely person - and as fit as a fiddle.
"She was a well-presented, lovely Christian lady who was living in the twilight of her years."
Dunshea praised the police for being both thorough and discreet so as not to scare children at the nearby preschool and other neighbours.
RNZ spoke to a number of locals on Wednesday who said while it was a scary thing to happen, the police presence helped to calm nerves.
Police said they believe the death was an isolated incident.
Former Ōhāriu electorate MP and Cabinet minister Peter Dunne lived close by, and had seen Helen around over the years. He said it was worrying that a neighbour quietly going about her life suffered this fate.
"People are shocked, they see this as a pretty quiet neighbourhood where these sorts of things don't happen. I think there has been a bit of anxiety."
