Mourners on both sides of the world were united in grief as they gathered to pay their respects to Scots backpacker Karen Aim.

Mourners on both sides of the world were united in grief as they gathered to pay their respects to Scots backpacker Karen Aim.

More than 500 friends and family gathered yesterday at East Mainland Church in Holm, Orkney, to pay tribute to Ms Aim, 26, who was killed as she walked home in Taupo, New Zealand, in the early hours of January 17.

In Taupo, more than 11,000 miles away, a memorial service to celebrate her life was held for many of the friends she had made while travelling.

Her aunt, Violet Perfect, who lives in New Zealand, said: "She absolutely buzzed with life. Now her bright light has been cruelly snuffed out."

In Holm, Reverend Miriam Gross told mourners, including her parents and 23-year-old brother, that Ms Aim would always be remembered for her "bright and cheery personality".

Police in Taupo are continuing inquires into her murder and yesterday released images of a cyclist seen around the time that Ms Aim would have walked past Taupo's Nui-a-Tia College. They appealed for information on the identity of the cyclist.