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Maureen Murray had only just arrived home from one funeral when she learned she had another - this time on the other side of the world and for her only brother.
Knowing she did not have the means to get to Ireland, the Tauranga woman rang a friend in Belfast and asked her to send flowers.
The friend found the death notice in a local paper and Ms Murray, 74, looked the funeral director up on the internet.
It was there she discovered S. Clarke & Sons offered an online funeral service, allowing her to watch the funeral from her computer. "It was up to you what you wanted to watch," Ms Murray said. "It was amazing, incredible."
The internet service more than made up for not being at her brother Eddie's funeral in person. "It felt different but it also made you feel you were part of a family gathering," she said.
Ms Murray only found out about the offer on the day of the funeral and missed watching it live but logged in the next day.
The first viewing took three hours but, after contacting internet provider Actrix and asking for a temporary upgrade to faster broadband, she was able to watch it at live speed, in 40 minutes.
She had access to footage from five cameras - one in a private room for mourners, two in the funeral chapel, one following the funeral party and one by the hearse.
The hearse was empty when she first looked but, clicking on it again later, she was able to see the wreaths.
She could also hear the eulogy and singing, and saw family members, including nephews she had never met.
She has now watched the funeral several times, accessing it with a password provided by the funeral director, and has taken still shots from the videos to store on her PC.
The funeral director charged nothing for the web service and Actrix said the temporary upgrade would cost $3.40.
Ms Murray praised both for being "very, very helpful".
The new use of technology for funerals has gained worldwide attention, much to the surprise of Jim Clarke of S. Clarke & Sons, who said it had evolved out of families asking for audio tapes then videos of funerals.
He thought more funeral homes should take advantage of the internet, particularly in countries like Ireland, with a tradition of emigration.
About 50 funerals have been broadcast so far, with the company using passwords to control who watched.
"We're using the latest technology to help families in a time of need," Mr Clarke said. "We're not trying to encourage morbid curiosity. There is far too much of that on the internet already."
Ms Murray, who moved to New Zealand 51 years ago and had not seen her brother since 1998, said: "You're not isolated like you used to be."
