Earlier that day, the couple had spent time together with their 18-month-old daughter, Kudrat.<\/p>\n
Kaur said Dhillon left that evening for work, telling them he would return later for dinner.<\/p>\n
But after some time, she stopped hearing from him. <\/p>\n
A police officer arrived at their home later that night to tell her that her husband had died in a crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cried, I cried, I cried.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt that my life is spoiled now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramandeep Dhillon spent his final morning with his wife and toddler daughter.<\/p>\n
Dhillon, who was born in Punjab, northwest India, met his future wife through family connections at a party. <\/p>\n
They became friends before he proposed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that he\u2019s a very good, thinking person and he\u2019s innocent, loyal, and at that time he\u2019s a perfect match for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did everything for me, and I can\u2019t forget his love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dhillon moved to New Zealand on a student visa in 2015, though returned briefly to India to marry Kaur in 2024. <\/p>\n
They moved to New Zealand together and settled in P\u0101p\u0101moa, where both worked on kiwifruit orchards. <\/p>\n
After his daughter was born, Dhillon started driving for Uber, choosing flexibility that let him care for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was so excited when he found out he was going to be a dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple named their daughter Kudrat, meaning \u201cnature\u201d, in honour of his deep love for the outdoors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe go outside, watch a movie, go to the park, Sikh temple, and go to the hill, and sometimes we love to [take a] long drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said their daughter closely resembled her father and had inherited his smile.<\/p>\n
She kept asking where her father was. <\/p>\n
Kaur said Dhillon loved healthy food, morning coffee and embraced every part of Kiwi culture. <\/p>\n
\u201cHis thinking is the same, like a Kiwi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramandeep Dhillon and Veerpal Kaur, who loved dressing in matching clothing.<\/p>\n
His best friend of 12 years, Gurlabh Singh, described Dhillon as a \u201cperfect friend\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a nice guy, he\u2019s friendly, he\u2019s a good husband, good daddy, good son for his mum.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair met while studying in New Zealand and lived together for a few years. <\/p>\n
Singh said his friend was always positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m angry he said to me, \u2018Why are you angry? Come with me, I will have lots of things to talk [about] with you.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
Dhillon loved his daughter deeply and made spending time with her a daily priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf at any time he misses his daughter, he comes home, spends time with her, then goes back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Singh first arrived in New Zealand, it was Dhillon who was waiting to pick him up from the airport.<\/p>\n
Singh was among the first to go searching for Dhillon when he didn\u2019t arrive home on time.<\/p>\n
He found the police cordon and asked officers whether the vehicle involved belonged to his friend. <\/p>\n
Although officers couldn\u2019t confirm it at the time, Singh later learned that Dhillon had died at the scene.<\/p>\n
His funeral was held on Wednesday, drawing a large crowd, with people travelling from across New Zealand to attend.<\/p>\n