As Dave Dobbyn stood at the entrance to the Pike River mine, through which lie the bodies of the 29 men who lost their lives four years ago, he covered his mouth and for a few seconds looked overwhelmed.
"I hope this is right, honouring them," he said. "This may well be their grave."
Dreams Lie Deeper (9.30pm, Wednesday, TV One) was powerful television: solemn, raw, terribly sad. But it was also, thanks to the humble singer and the spirit of the Greymouth people he met, hopeful and uplifting.
Wellington's Orpheus Choir conductor Mark Dorrell had commissioned Dobbyn for just this purpose, asking him to write a song for the men and the families who'd lost sons, husbands, brothers.
Not everyone's a fan of Dobbyn's middle-of-the-road anthems but the down-to-earth star seemed the right man for the job. His journey from Auckland to Greymouth and Wellington was filmed in May and screened this week on the fourth anniversary of the tragedy.