Around the country today New Zealanders showed their support and honoured the 29 men who are presumed dead inside the Pike River mine.On a day when words were hard to find, Dunedin spoke through its Cathedral bells - one toll for every life lost.
In Christchurch, the Cathedral was also a place to express sympathy.
At parliament, MP Te Ururoa Flavell expressed his grief in song, while other politicians queued up to sign a public condolence register.
Elsewhere around the capital, the West Coast's fallen sons were remembered at government buildings and embassies, where flags were flown at half mast.
In Auckland many teachers allowed students to spend time writing emails of support which will be sent to Greymouth schools.
Hourly prayer services provided a place of quiet contemplation for many in Auckland as NZ's biggest city held out a hand to its West Coast brothers.
"We are all sons and daughters of Greymouth today, no matter where we are in the country," said Auckland Mayor Len Brown.
A man who lost six students and a teacher in the Tongariro canyoning disaster in 2008, had words of advice.
"Closure does not come for a very, very long time and if they don't effect the recovery of bodies, that closure may never come," said Elim Christian College principal Murray Burton.
Article and Photo Courtesy:
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/pike-river-grief-shared-around-new-zealand-3916210
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