The funeral is underway for the man and wife who died at Auckland's Muriwai beach on Monday.
Kay Dah Ukay, 48, and his wife Mu Thu Pa drowned while fishing off the rocks at the beach on the west coast.
The chapel in Henderson, where the funeral is being held, is standing room only with up to 300 people in attendance.
A witness at the scene told 1 NEWS Kay Dah Ukay, fell into the water first. His wife Mu Thu Pa, used her fishing rod to try and help him out, before she was dragged in herself.
The Burmese couple and their older children had escaped from Burma into Thailand 20 years ago.
The family resided in a refugee camp on the Thai/Burmese border for the next 10 years.
They were resettled in New Zealand in January 2008.
They leave behind nine children.
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