Memorial wall thrills Elim families

Hannah McClean says her brother Tony would have loved the memorial climbing wall. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Hannah McClean falters as she climbs the memorial wall dedicated to her older brother and six students at Elim Christian College.

"Can Hannah do it?" a voice bellows from below.

There's a roar of laughter from the audience as everybody looks up at Hannah, who is shaking her head.

It takes her another few seconds but she finally gets to the top, with the audience cheering her on.

Hundreds of people gathered in the school's gym yesterday to see a memorial wall built to commemorate the lives of those killed in the Mangatepopo canyoning tragedy.

It has been three years since six students, Natasha Bray, Tom Hsu, Floyd Fernandes, Portia McPhail, Tara Gregory, Anthony Mulder and teacher Tony McClean died while on a school trip at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

Families of those killed stood at the bottom of the wall, each reading out a Bible verse.

There are seven tracks on the wall, representing each person, with words such as "Do your best", "faithful" and "love and trust God" scattered on the wall.

Siblings of those killed - many of them spitting images of their brother or sister - then take to the wall, climbing the track that represents their family member.

Year 12 student Olivia Bray is the first to reach the ribbon near the top of her sister Natasha's part of the wall.

Over at Tony McClean's track Hannah is struggling to pass a jagged bit of rock.

"It's pretty hard," she says afterwards.

"But he [Tony] would've loved it."