Strangers were sharing tears and hugs at the site of a makeshift shrine near the Mount Maunganui landslide on Sunday. Tony Wall reports.
Carol Wilson and Lani Doidge had never met before Sunday. But just moments after arriving at a makeshift shrine that is growing near the scene of the Mt Maunganui landslide tragedy, they were crying on each other’s shoulders.
“We don’t even know each other, but I feel like everyone could use a hug,” said Doidge, as others around her joined in the spirit and shared impromptu embraces.
Hundreds of people were visiting the cordon on the Pilot Bay side of the Mount on Sunday, many leaving flowers or writing tributes on a piece of plywood.
“All my love, my heart breaks,” someone called Paula had written. “Rest in peace,” wrote Marley.
“Awhi [embrace] from all of the Mount,” someone else wrote.
Doidge and Wilson, both Mount locals, couldn’t hold back tears as they spoke of their sorrow at what happened on Thursday morning, when a landslide took out part of the Mount camp ground, claiming six lives.
“It’s just such a tragedy, our hearts go out to all of the families,” Wilson said.
“I don’t know [the families] personally and I can’t even imagine what they’re going through at a time like this, it must be so horrible for them,” said Doidge, her voice breaking.
“You never think something like this could happen so close to you. I’m just here to pay my respects.”
Wilson: “And for it to happen at our beautiful mountain, our Mauao….”
Thomas and Keren Gardiner had come to the shrine straight from church.
Thomas is a volunteer with the Mauao Trust – giving directions to tourists and handing out sunscreen, plasters and the like.
He’d just arrived at the base of the maunga on Thursday morning.
“I got out of the vehicle and was having a morning chat and just heard like firecrackers eh, like loud firecrackers, it must have been all the roots of the trees breaking.
“I just turned around and man, the trees were just moving with the earth eh, working its way towards the pools.
“My mind just went straight into the screaming eh, the screaming you know. Far out, it was pretty hard to shake off.”
Gardiner said lots of people were wanting to enter the camp to help and he tried to keep them away for their safety.
“There were so many people trying to get in there eh, it’s just like [they] do more damage than anything.
“And other parts around it were going to slip away.”
He and his wife said a little prayer for the dead.
“There are so many emotions,” Thomas said.
CRE: – Stuff