Reino GRUNDLING Obituary

Reino was such a keen Conservationist and Herpetologist and I will miss our Lizard and plant chats
My sincere sympathy to the family He will be so sadly missed

Reino´s work for the environment will live on in the landscapes he cared for.

I am so saddened to hear of Reino's passing. I worked with Reino in the late 2010's in logistics, eventually training under him in exports. I am forever grateful for all the training and lessons he instilled in me, as even now I have left logistics, the principles I still apply daily in my job. I will remember Reino as a man with exceptionally high integrity, "nothing is too hard, lets roll up our sleeves and get to work" attitude, and a true animal lover at heart. My deepest sympathies to Reino's family and close friends.

We have so many good and happy memories of all the happy moments together.

Reino,Mr lizard man you will be truly missed.. I was keeping geckos in Greytown when I was at primary school so I know the bond you had..Altho we only saw each other on the odd occasion the chats I will remember..The first time we met is when I brought a truck load of firewood around..You had changed the property so much..Rest easy mate..
Rachael if you read this feel to reach out if you need a hand with anything....

We were told that his ashes will be returned to his spot in nature today, 19/11/2025. We are so grateful for Arno, who will be representing us today. We love them for this! Thank you Arno and Ingrid!

A shared love for nature, be it Africa or New Zealand, but what I treasure most of all is that we reconnected personally as adults. What an inspiring cousin, so supportive and optimistic. My heart is broken, the loss is great. I will miss our random check-ins so much. I pray peace and calm upon your loved ones and friends. Rest in peace my dear, dear cousin.

Sending sincere condolences and love to Christi, Andre, Jake,Arno and Ingrid, on the sudden and very sad passing of their much loved, son and brother Reino Grundling. Having known this family since they arrived in New Zealand from South Africa, I know how loved Reino was by his family.
Much love and understanding your pain . Kay Foot

He was the cutest toddler ever. Reino and his baby brother Arno. He will be missed.

To the whanau, our hearts and thoughts go out to you. Very sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry to hear of Reino's passing. He was such an inspiring person. We brought the Mauriceville School kids to his house to learn about his amazing mokomoko and his enthusiasm was infectious. Our school will be honoring him by planting a lizard garden. We are thinking of his family at this very sad time.

We are so touched when reading every memory about Reino. We are blessed with loads of memories.

I remember the day when he came to my school to talk to the children about his geckos. The were hanging onto his lips snd even the children with huge behaviour issues were spell bound. He changed so many hearts that day for the better.

And then I remember after a holiday on the farm when he, his dad and his uncle hid a wee little lamb in the boot of our car to become their pet! The faces of Reino and his brother when the poor lamb started bleating a long way from the farm and at the point where we could not turn back ...

In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always.

My heartfelt condolences. Reino´s memory will always be held with warmth and love. May his parents, brothers, family, and friends find strength, comfort, and peace.

Liewe Christi en Andre. My hart is saam met julle seer. Ek het nie vir Reino geken nie, maar ek ken julle. Met julle as sy ouers weet ek hy was 'n wonderlike jongman met baie mooi eienskappe en vol liefde. Dink aan julle in die moeilike tyd en weet God sal jul hier deur dra. Tonne liefde vir julle.

I will miss you always brother, you have cracked my heart but I will still love you.

I was lucky enough to work with Reino for a few years in Wellington. What a fantastic guy with a heart of gold and patience of a saint. He was a fun and active member of our team and his smile made team meetings that much brighter. Rest well my friend and will see you again one day.

Reino neef jy was jonk toe julle weg is uit Suid Afrika! Altyd jou plasings op Facebook gevolg oor jou passie in die lewe. Jou Ma ,Pa en familie gaan jou baie mis! Rus in vrede! Altyd gehoop dat ek na NZ kan gaan en julle weer te sien!

In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always.

Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope. Remembering you and your loved one today and always.

Our deepest sympathy and love to you all. Reino will be in our hearts forever and sorely missed.

My deepest condolences to you both on the loss of your son. You are in my thoughts with much love Linley Myers (Bruce).

Although we lost touch over the years, I will always remember Reino as my class mate in Primary School in South Africa. As his mum says he had a smile that closed his eyes. I remember finding a chocolate with a wildlife wrapper on it and couldn´t think of a better person to give it to. So I hid it in his little wooden desk at school on Valentines Day. Rest easy Reino. Hope you always knew how much your beautiful parents, family and friends loved you. My heartfelt condolences and all my love to all who knew and loved him.

I have known Reino through my dear friend Christi, and what always stood out to me was the devoted love his parents had for him and his brothers. Christi´s face and eyes always light up when she talks about her boys and so I can only imagine the enormous loss this brings them. My heart is with his family.

Reino was a huge inspiration and influence in our shared field of conservation but in life as a person. I saw so much of myself in him and how he interacted with the world and aimed to reach and educate the hearts of others with the same passion and vigor that he had done. I met Reino as my team lead at Pukaha National Wildlife centre. We quickly connected and he took me under his wing. We shared dinners together and I house sat for him and Rach while they were away. This man shaped a lot of my perspectives and I can only hope to light up a room in the same way he did. He remained someone that I was excited to talk to and keep in the loop with my life´s adventures. We miss you so much.

Much love, Brady.

Reino´s oupa Claassens called him his `halfmoon grandchild because he always had that infectious smile that turned his eyes into wee little half moons.

Reino was a dedicated conservationist whose passion was huge and he gladly shared this passion with many others. He even shared his home to host visitors so they also could learn and participate in this passion along side him.

A great help to me with NZHS matters. Will be sadly missed.