KEY POINTS:
It was a sad and moving procession in the small Far North town of Kerikeri today as nearly 80 students and teachers walked to remember a slain teenager.
As police appealed for help to find the killer of popular 15-year-old Liberty Templeman, her friends, schoolmates and teachers from Kerikeri High School walked to the bridge close to where her body was found on Sunday night.
She had been missing since about 7pm on Saturday when she failed to meet her boyfriend and her body was found face down in the Wairoa Stream about 24 hours later.
Today police confirmed Liberty's death was not an accident and they were hunting for her killer. They refused to say how she had died or if she had been sexually abused.
Liberty was due to start classes at Rangitoto College on Auckland's North Shore yesterday after moving to the city with her parents but today her friends, schoolmates and teachers struggled to control their tears as they each took a small bunch of flowers to the bridge.
"We wanted to go down to the bridge," said Kerikeri High School principal, Elizabeth Forgie.
"We walked to the bridge and we sang Amazing Grace and Whakaaria Mai. We had a minute's silence.
"We left one very large bunch of flowers and the students took their flowers back and put them all around the auditorium."
She said it was a moving and important step for the classmates, friends of Liberty and staff at the school.
As the small town reeled in shock at the killing, Mrs Forgie said the school where Liberty had been a student and where she had made such an impression, was devastated.
She said one of her hardest tasks was telling the school assembly not only had they lost a loved student but that she had been killed by a person still loose in the community.
"There is nothing that prepares you as a leader to manage something like this.
"We had to say all our worst fears had been confirmed.
"Liberty was very bubbly, very well liked and a very talented drama student."
The school is liaising with the family before it decides what to do about a memorial service.
As the messages of support continued to flow to the school and students, Mrs Forgie said parents and students were advised to take extra precautions until the killer was caught.
"We have advised our students to cycle or walk together and to stick to the main thoroughfares.
"Until we know what we are dealing with my recommendation is to be ultra-cautious," she said.
- NZPA
