Dame Lynda Topp has opened up about the last day of her sister's life and the "very specific instructions" she left.
Dame Jools Topp, one half of the Topp Twins, died last month, aged 68, after living with breast cancer.
More than 1000 guests attended her celebration of life at Auckland's Viaduct Events Centre on Friday. People wore cowboy hats and bright colours to honour the twins' legacy.
In an emotional speech, Dame Lynda told the crowd she and her sister had a "good 68 years together".
"This has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, to say goodbye to my beautiful twin.
"When you say goodbye to your sister, you think, what do I say? Everybody knows pretty much what we did most of our lives because everybody talked about us and wrote about us, we were on the TV, and we made movies.
"So today, I'll talk to you about my last year with my sister. As a caregiver and friend, we had amazing moments together and sad moments."
She said Dame Jools died at her farm surrounded by family and friends, including their brother Bruce Topp.
"We will never, ever forget that moment when we held her, and she passed away in our arms. A true honour, a moment that we will cherish."
"I did almost say that we all had to be naked, but then we realised that the neighbours could see from across the hill.
"We had a moment where we all stood back and let her soak in her beloved farm, her little block of heaven, her block of paradise where she lived with her horses, her dogs, her cats, and her chickens. She loved every minute of that. It was unbelievable how much she enjoyed being a farmer and a horsewoman and a person who loved animals.
"We all, one by one, had a moment where we said what we needed to say to her. We played music, we sang, we had a few quiet moments all together, and we held each other.
"We stayed there until dusk, and then we brought her back down home. We placed her back into bed, and we made a beautiful shroud around her and covered her. My beautiful brother made a bouquet of every weed on the property, and we laid it on her with a little horse, and she wore this pounamu."
She said she stayed with her sister all night, holding her hand.
"She was never once alone. She left this world with me. She came into this world with me, and I was not going to let her go without me.
The next day, Lynda said they dressed Jools in "the best cowgirl outfit you could ever see in your life".
"We gently rolled Jools over, and there, stuck in her bum crack, was the most beautiful piece of horse grass you've ever seen.
"She took a little bit of her farm with her."
Other speakers included former prime minister Helen Clark, who remembered Jools as one of the country's most loved New Zealanders.
"She was our national treasure, a dame and a down-to-earth farm girl. It's extremely hard to accept that the camp leader has left the building and Ken's best mate has signed off forever. Our collective loss is enormous. But Jools was most importantly a sister, a daughter, niece, cousin, and a very good friend."
She said she was fortunate to work with the "best in the business", but more fortunate for Jools' friendship.
A final pre-recorded message from Jools Topp was also played at the celebration of life.
She first thanked and said goodbye to New Zealand.
"All the times you clapped and cheered and bought albums and kept us alive. I just want to thank you for being all our greatest fans. Love you forever in my heart."
She also had a special message for her sister.
"When you hear the wind blow, or you hear the line of your reel hit the water as it hits the South Island lake and the trout's waiting patiently for it, or the wind just touches your ear, and you feel a little chill, that's me. That's me reminding you that I will always love you forever. It will never go away. So my darling, stay strong.
"I will love you till the cows come home. Moo! Love you."
To close the celebration, everyone was on their feet, dancing and singing along to the Topp Twins' hit 'Untouchable Girls'.
