Ōtautahi / Christchurch Daily Photo

How could we ever forget? The tragedy of so much loss of life. The incredible acts of bravery and heroism. And so we gather to remember.

And with remembering comes the sadness and the grief for those who have lost too much. Regardless of how much you have been affected by the quakes, you could not help but be affected by today’s ceremony. Today the wounds were raw again.

The hardest place to be today was the site of the CTV building. So many beautiful flowers and tributes were left, along with personal notes to loved ones lost. I left my own tribute for a young Japanese girl I knew. So many times I’ve thought of her over the years. I didn’t know her for long, and I regret that I didn’t get to know her as well as I should have. But she will be forever remembered by me.