Three wreaths from family members in SA were among flowers laid on the New Zealand shore at a memorial service for the three Dickason children on Saturday.

Stuff.co.nz reported that Jacqueline Harris, who organised the memorial to pay tribute to twins Karla and Maya, 2, and their six-year-old sister, Liane, arrived carrying wreaths from their family back home.

The children were found dead in their new home by their father more than a week ago when he returned from work.

The family had left Pretoria at the end of August so Graham Dickason, an orthopaedic surgeon, could work at a hospital in New Zealand. They had been in the town of Timaru for about a week after first being quarantined elsewhere under Covid-19 regulations.

The children's mother, doctor Lauren Dickason, 40, has been charged for their murder.

Stuff.co.nz said about 80 people gathered at Caroline Bay beach on Saturday and Harris said Graham was still in shock and “taking one day at a time”.

“He absolutely loved the vigil,” she said.

Kaycee Glover told Stuff.co.nz she made a special trip from Christchurch to attend the memorial.

As she watched her daughters Meeah, 6, and Kateigh Olin, 4, leaving flowers to float on the ocean tide, Glover said she could not understand the tragedy.

“My girls are about the same age. I can’t understand it. Every time I see it, and it comes up on TV I can’t understand it.”

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