Police at the Totaravale Reserve on Auckland's North Shore in March last year, where the remains of missing woman Cissy Chen were found. Photo / Richard Robinson
At the edge of a perfectly manicured park on Auckland's North Shore, a group of jurors gathered to see the place where Cissy Chen's remains were found.
The 45-year-old accountant went missing in November 2012.
Her body was found 16 months later, in a stream in the Totaravale Reserve.
Mrs Chen's partner, 58-year-old Yun Qing "Jack" Liu is on trial in the High Court at Auckland, accused of her murder.
Today, the jury of six men and six women took a walking tour of a neighbourhood bordering the Northern Motorway.
They passed the house where Cissy and Jack lived for seven years, before visiting two tranquil nature reserves.
Accompanied by the prosecution, defence and judge, the 12 jurors tramped across a rolling green valley flanked by native bush; the only sound to be heard was birdsong.
They were shown the stream which runs through to Totaravale Reserve.
Today the water runs slowly, birds fluttering in the shallows.
It is here that Cissy Chen's remains were discovered -- so badly decomposed a cause of death could not be deduced by the pathologist.
The Crown's case is that major deterioration in the couple's relationship led to Liu killing Mrs Chen.
The defendant was not required to be at today's tour, as it was for the purposes of the jury.
'He has disregarded our voice and continued with this divisive kaupapa.'