The pair would often cuddle for hours watching anime or Dove would sit on his lap while he played games.
“It seemed like our special time,” Gates said.
Dove was two months shy of her second birthday when she died on October 20.
He always looked forward to arriving home when Dove would run to him.
“Words cannot describe the absence in my soul I felt when I heard the news, taken from us too soon, taken from me too soon, my little friend,” Gates said.
“Your curious nature and your love is what made you, you, but it took you too close to the sun and now you are flying out of my reach.”
Dove, 22 months old, was described by her father as a curious girl who was full of love and light.
Mother Annalese Nelder called her daughter the “sassiest little girl”.
“She had such a personality and was known for being a diva, she also knew how to love hard,” she said.
Nelder described how once her daughter warmed up to a person, she would sit on their lap, give countless snuggles and try to make them “endlessly” laugh.
Dove has been described by her mother as the sassiest little girl who loved hard.
“She was best friends with everyone she came across,” she said.
“We miss her so much and she’s missed by so many people.”
Aunt Teegan Mays told Dove in a message written after she died that her niece was a part of her she would never see again.
“Your smile so bright, your curiosity so big and beautiful, too big for this beautiful earth.
“I’ll protect your brother and sister like I know you always would,” she wrote.
“I’ll look for you everywhere I go and forever miss you my girl.”
Dove’s nana, Anita Gates, said their bond was the most beautiful feeling in the world.
“Her eyes reminded me of my son. She made my heart feel like no one could come between us. I love her beyond measure.”
Anita said the pair had plans together.
“She is truly a treasure that will live in my heart forever, I can’t believe she was taken too soon … I love her so much.”
Aunt Abigael Gates said her time with Dove had been too short.
“She brought the type of light into our lives that will never be forgotten.”
To Abigael, Dove was a bright, bubbly and giggly little girl who she said always made people smile with her “silly faces” and “soft squishy cheeks”.
“I will always remember her gorgeous self as a core memory in my heart, fly high our beautiful princess Dove.”
Uncle Craig Nelder said he would miss Dove.
“I could feel that trust in your look towards me.”
Dove’s other nan, Simone Clark, who lived on the family’s property was visited by the youngster and her brother nearly every morning.
“Dove and her brother would come down to say hello, she would look for my SodaStream bottle and bring it to me for a drink,” she said.
Dove would follow the chickens around, hang out in the doves’ pen or bounce on the trampoline.
“In the last few months all her life became all animals, she would be wherever they were,” she said.
“I so miss my little mate.”
Dove leaves behind her 3-year-old brother and a 2-month-old sister.
A Givealittle page has been set up in her name by a close friend to help support Dove’s family.
The page has already raised more than $5000 toward its $10,000 goal.
“With the sudden passing of our beloved Dove, we would like to reach out to the community to seek help with funeral cost and further support for her beautiful whānau during this difficult time,” the page read.
Those donating commented that Dove brightened their day and they offered words of comfort to the grieving family.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.