Dannevirke: Easter focuses on family togetherness

Worshippers follow the cross along High St. Photo / Christine McKay

A small group of devoted pilgrims weren't about to let the rain prevent them from taking part in Dannevirke's annual cross walk on Good Friday morning.

Reverend Jo Crosse, the vicar of Southern Hawke's Bay, led a short service at St John the Baptist Anglican Church with a reading from the Gospel of John and the Lord's Prayer.

The Reverend Jo Crosse, vicar of Southern Hawke's Bay, conducts a short service in Dannevirke's St John the Baptist Church before the cross walk.

"As we walk down the street together bearing witness, may it be a light to the world," she said.

Tom Kamura and Peter Tairea encouraged the inter-denominational congregation to join in singing, including the stirring, I've got a River of Life Springing Within Me, before the congregation braved the rain for the walk of the faithful down High St.

Rain didn't deter Peter Tairea (carrying the cross) and Tom Kamura, leading the faithful from Dannevirke's St John the Baptist Anglican Church during Good Friday's cross walk.

With umbrellas up and accompanied by the tooting of passing vehicles people made their way down the street following the cross to the lower Domain. "This is our journey," Mr Kamura said.

"It's a good journey and the opportunity for people to take part in something significant with family and friends."

And what a journey it was - down to the camping ground below the Domain and then back up to the duck pond area where parishioners from the Dannevirke Salvation Army had organised a cross hunt, their version of an Easter egg hunt. Lynda Ellington of the Salvation Army told the Dannevirke News she hoped the cross hunt would become an annual event, part of the walking of the cross.

"Kids don't mind getting out in their gummies on a wet day and we're just trying to include families to share this day together," she said.

"We're very fortunate to have the lower Domain and a camper remarked to me today that this is a little piece of heaven.

"When we moved from Auckland we missed the water and I took a little tiki tour to discover what Dannevirke had to offer and found the lower Domain. It's wonderful."

As children and their families searched for the crosses, which had been made by Lynda Dufty, there were hopeful cries of 23, 29, as they tallied up their finds.

However, there were 102 crosses hidden around the lower Domain to be found before everyone returned to the camping ground for fellowship and a barbecue cooked by members of the Dannevirke Community Crew.

"This is all about family," Mrs Ellington said.