Flag flies at half-mast as Thames Coromandel remembers Queen Elizabeth

The team from the St. Francis Op Shop in Tairua paid their homage to the departed monarch.Photo / supplied

The New Zealand flag at Thames Coromandel District Council office was lowered to half-mast on Friday in recognition of the death of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II, joining people and nations around the world paying their respects and celebrating her extraordinary life.

The Queen, 96, died peacefully at her summer retreat of Balmoral castle on Thursday, surrounded by family, after a 70-year reign.

Thames Coromandel mayor Sandra Goudie said: "The Queen has been an enduring, guiding force for both our Commonwealth and the realms of the world, and we join the nations in mourning a remarkable woman.

"On behalf of our district, we pass on our regards and condolences."

A monument is maintained in Mercury Bay as a reminder of the Queen's visit to the area in 1969 for bicentenary celebrations of the arrival in Aotearoa of Captain James Cook on the Endeavour.

The New Zealand flag will be flown at half-mast from the announcement of the death up to and including the day of the funeral, except for on Proclamation Day, which was on Saturday, to officially announce King Charles III as the new sovereign, and head of state for New Zealand. Many people in the Hauraki Coromandel shared their condolences via memory books, made available at council offices and libraries in the region.

The team from the St Francis Op Shop in Tairua paid their homage to the departed monarch. Pat Gilbert, from the shop, said; "The team made the small photo display to pay tribute to our very much-loved Queen Elizabeth II and to offer a small place for our friends and customers to pause momentarily and give thanks for the life of a woman who kept her promise 'that my whole life whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service'. And she did with such love."

"We lit a candle, had a wonderful morning tea provided by friends, grieved for the enormous loss that her family will be enduring and talked about this extraordinary woman who exemplifies a life well lived and her faith truly revealed," said Sharon.

He kotuku rerenga tahi - A white heron's flight is seen but once.